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BACK FROM THE BATTLEFIELD, PART II:

SEAMLESS TRANSITION TO CIVILIAN LIFE

HEARING

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS

UNITED STATES SENATE

ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

APRIL 19, 2005

Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.access.gpo.gov/congress/senate

(II)

COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS

LARRY E. CRAIG, Idaho, Chairman

ARLEN SPECTER, Pennsylvania

KAY BAILEY HUTCHISON, Texas

LINDSEY O. GRAHAM, South Carolina

RICHARD BURR, North Carolina

JOHN ENSIGN, Nevada

JOHN THUNE, South Dakota

JOHNNY ISAKSON, Georgia

DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii, Ranking Member

JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia

JAMES M. JEFFORDS, (I), Vermont

PATTY MURRAY, Washington

BARACK OBAMA, Illinois

KEN SALAZAR, Colorado

LUPE WISSEL, Majority Staff Director

D. NOELANI KALIPI, Minority Staff Director

(III)

CONTENTS

TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2005

SENATORS

Page

Akaka, Hon. Daniel K., U.S. Senator from Hawaii .............................................. 1

Murray, Patty, U.S. Senator from Washington ..................................................... 2

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 3

Salazar, Hon. Ken, U.S. Senator from Colorado ................................................... 14

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 14

WITNESSES

Wyatt, Tristan, Veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom ........................................... 4

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 5

Fernandez, 1st Lieutenant John A., (RET), Veteran of Operation Iraqi

Freedom ................................................................................................................ 6

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 8

Cooper, Admiral Daniel L., Under Secretary for Benefits, Department of

Veterans Affairs; accompanied by Robert J. Epley, Associate Deputy Under

Secretary for Policy and Program Management, Department of Veterans

Affairs .................................................................................................................... 18

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 20

Juarbe, Frederico Jr., Assistant Secretary for Veterans Employment and

Training, Veterans Employment and Training Service, Department of

Labor ..................................................................................................................... 22

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 24

Molino, John, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Military Community

and Family Policy, Department of Defense ....................................................... 29

Prepared statement .......................................................................................... 30

APPENDIX

Response to post-hearing questions submitted by Hon. Larry E. Craig,

Chairman, to Department of Veterans Affairs .................................................. 43

Response to post-hearing questions submitted by Hon. Larry E. Craig,

Chairman, to John M. Molino, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for

Military Community and Family Policy, Department of Defense .................... 45

(1)

BACK FROM THE BATTLEFIELD, PART II:

SEAMLESS TRANSITION TO CIVILIAN LIFE

TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 2005

UNITED STATES SENATE, COMMITTEE ON VETERANS’ AFFAIRS, Washington, DC.

The Committee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:04 a.m., in room

418, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Daniel K. Akaka,

Ranking Member, presiding.

Present: Senators Akaka, Murray, and Salazar.

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DANIEL K. AKAKA,

RANKING MEMBER, U.S. SENATOR FROM HAWAII

Senator AKAKA. The Committee on Veterans’ Affairs will come to

order.

I am very pleased to welcome all of you to this very important

hearing today. Chairman Craig would be here to welcome you,

however, he has an amendment on the floor this morning and will

be unable to join us at this moment.

I have enjoyed working with the Chairman and know that he

would be here now if he could, and we are looking forward to him

joining this Committee later this morning.

I am grateful for this opportunity to talk about what the Government is doing to care for transitioning servicemembers. I echo the

sentiment of George Washington from so long ago ‘‘Young people

will only serve in our Armed Services if they perceive that veterans

of earlier wars were appreciated by their Nation.’’ I think these

words ring especially true today. We must be doing all that we can

for our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, as they transition

from military to civilian life.

I thank all the panelists for being here today. I would like to especially welcome two of our Nation’s heroes, Mr. Tristan Wyatt and

1st Lt. John Fernandez, both veterans of the current conflict in

Iraq.

Mr. Wyatt grew up in New Jersey and moved to Colorado in

1998. He enlisted in the Army in October 2002, attended basic

training in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and became a combat engineer. After airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia, Mr. Wyatt

was assigned to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Carson,

Colorado. In late February he was deployed to Iraq.

On August 25, 2003, Mr. Wyatt was wounded in action en route

from Fallujah to the city of Caldiah. During the firefight, Mr.

Wyatt took shrapnel and lost his right leg above his knee. He was

awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart on September 1st.

2

He arrived at Walter Reed Medical Center where he was treated

until the middle of January. Mr. Wyatt was medically discharged

on June 24, 2004.

First Lieutenant John Fernandez is a 2001 graduate of West

Point Military Academy and was captain of the West Point lacrosse

team.

During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Lt. Fernandez was a member

of the Charlie Battery 313 Field Artillery based out of Fort Sill,

Oklahoma. He was deployed to OIF on January 20, 2003. On April

3rd, 2003, 20 miles south of Baghdad, Lt. Fernandez was injured

when a 500-pound laser-guided bomb hit in very close proximity to

him. As a result of this friendly fire incident, both of his legs were

amputated below the knee. Lt. Fernandez arrived at Walter Reed

Army Medical Center on April 11. He was sent home from Walter

Reed upon his own request on June 20, 2003. He officially left the

service on August 11, 2004, 16 months after his initial injury.

Gentlemen, I look forward to hearing the testimony that you will

give today. Both of you have special insight into how the Departments of Veterans Affairs, Defense and Labor systems are working.

Please share your views with us so that we can better serve our

newly separated servicemembers. Will both of you please move up

to the desk?

I applaud the work that VA, DOD and DOL have done to ensure

a seamless transition to the men and women that serve. However,

the Committee needs to know if these departments are doing everything possible to guarantee that each servicemember is receiving

high quality assistance. Our servicemembers, including the men

and women who are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan,

should have nothing less than a seamless reintegration into society

and their lives. We need to be particularly attentive to the challenges faced by the Guard and Reserves in their transition from

military to civilian life.

In my own State of Hawaii more than 700 Guard and Reserve

members have returned from active duty, and there are currently

more than 3,200 on active duty, who will be transitioning in the

future. I am very concerned that these servicemembers have the

appropriate services available to them upon their return from active duty.

Again, thank you all for being here today and I look forward to

your testimony.

May I call on Senator Murray for any remarks she has?

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. PATTY MURRAY,

U.S. SENATOR FROM WASHINGTON

Senator MURRAY. Thank you very much, Senator Akaka, and

thank you to you and Chairman Craig for holding this hearing

today, and I especially want to thank both of our witnesses for

being here today.

I think how we treat our soldiers when they return home to

make sure the transition back into civilian life is as seamless as

possible is really critical. I think it is something we have learned

from previous war experiences, certainly from Vietnam when I was

younger, and as well as the first Gulf War when we discovered Gulf

War syndrome, as Senator Rockefeller worked on so hard a number

3

of years ago, that we have to listen to the soldiers who are returning and making sure that we do the best job possible.

I am hoping to have a field hearing in my home State in the future because we have thousands of Guard and Reserve returning

as well.

I will submit my statement for the record, Mr. Chairman, and

look forward to hearing the testimony. I have two other hearings

I have to be at this morning, so I will not be able to stay a long

time, but I do think this is absolutely critical. Your testimony today

will help us make sure we are doing the right thing for all of the

soldiers who are returning, so I really appreciate your being here

today.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you. Senator Murray, your statement will

be included in the record.

[The prepared statement of Senator Murray follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. PATTY MURRAY,

U.S. SENATOR FROM WASHINGTON

I thank Chairman Craig and Senator Akaka for calling the hearing. I want to welcome the panel and thank them for their service to our country.

I have been concerned about transition issues for quite some time. They have always been a burden for the soldiers on the front lines and their families back home.

I saw some of the effects of war at home when my father returned from WWII.

Then, the whole country became more aware of these issues thanks to the brave

men and women who came home after their experience in Vietnam. When I first

joined this Committee, we were seeing the effects of a relatively short Persian Gulf

War.

Now, I see the effects of this war in my visits to Walter Reed, Bethesda, my VA

facilities back home, and with the families I meet all over Washington State. During

my trip to Baghdad and Kuwait last month, I saw the concern in soldiers’ eyes as

they talked with both anticipation and trepidation about their return home. And,

I hear about the concerns of returning soldiers and their families every day.

Washington State has a proud military heritage with Fort Lewis, McChord, Fairchild, and all of the Puget Sound Naval bases—each of them have sent service men

and women into Iraq or Afghanistan. Fort Lewis is home to three Stryker Brigades—two have already seen action in Iraq. And, we have a large number of National Guard and Reserves who have served—or are currently in Iraq or Afghanistan. In all, over 20,000 service men and women from my home State have gone

overseas in this War, and a large group has just returned. That’s why I brought

together the leaders of Madigan Army Hospital, our regional VA, Fort Lewis and

Camp Murray last January. I wanted to know their plan to take care of the returning soldiers and their families, and to ensure they had all of the help I could provide.

Mr. Chairman, that’s why this hearing is so important—we need to find out what

we can do better. And we need to keep talking so more of our new veterans come

forward and get the care and benefits they have earned. That’s why I have asked

to hold a field hearing in Washington State—because keeping the issue front and

center is what my military and VA leaders have asked me to do.

Mr. Chairman, I am eager to hear from our panelists today, and review all of

their testimony in the days ahead. I look forward to working with you, Senator

Akaka and the rest of our colleagues on a VA benefits bill that can make our newest

veterans’ transitions back home as easy as possible.

I am particularly interested in the level of counseling we provide families prior

to a soldier’s return home. For example, do they get counseling to spot warning

signs of things like PTSD? And, how can they help their loved-one adjust to life back

at home, or back on the job.

I would like to hear how we maintain contact with both returning service men

and women—as well as their families—during this transition period.

I am also interested in how we treat Guard and Reserve soldiers when they come

back. I know there are particular challenges when many of these soldiers don’t live

close to military or VA facilities.

4

I could go on, but these are some of the issues I hope our second panel can answer

for the record. Thank you Mr. Chairman, I look forward to both of our panels’ instructive testimony.

Senator AKAKA. Turning now to the first panel, Mr. Wyatt, will

you please give your testimony and please let the Committee know

about your transition from military to civilian life.

STATEMENT OF TRISTAN WYATT,

VETERAN OF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM

Mr. WYATT. Good morning. I would first like to say it is an honor

for me to be here today.

After wounds received in action during Operation Iraqi Freedom,

I began a stint at Walter Reed Army Hospital. It lasted for 6

months of recovery and therapy.

Understanding the severity of my wounds and against my best

wishes, I knew it was highly unlikely I would ever see the battlefield again. I was very disappointed, and even more, I was scared.

I did not know what my next step should be or where I should go.

As soon as I was coherent I found physical therapists and members

of the VA began to show up at my bedside. Every day I was given

information about benefits, entitlements and health care. For the

most part it was overwhelming, a lot of information to take in in

a short amount of time.

The thing that impressed me the most was there was always an

answer to my question. I never felt blown off. They had a simple

and effective way of passing the information to me in ways that I

could understand and ways I could retain. This was very important.

Leaving the hospital I felt confident. I had a good understanding

of what to do and where to begin once I returned home to Colorado.

The process for most of my benefits and entitlements had begun at

Walter Reed so when I returned it was only a matter of weeks before my benefits were in order. It was a fairly quick and effective

process. The longest portion was the medical boarding. Although

this was not a huge issue for me, this was a big financial and emotional setback for the soldiers who had families. It is very tough

for these soldiers to wait around for months on the boarding process in order to be home with their families and begin their new

lives.

On top of everything the VA has done for me and my family, they

had also offered me a job recently which I accepted at the beginning of this month. It was a product of the vocational rehab process

designed to give personal assistance with education, the ultimate

goal is employment. This is how I was introduced to the Vet IT program at the Regional VA Office here in Washington, DC. It offers

returning disabled vets the opportunity at hard-to-attain GS positions within the VA. I cannot say enough about these programs

and the volunteers that run them. There were now more opportunities available to me than I could have ever imagined.

It would be great to see these programs implemented in other VA

offices around the country. Many vets are not willing to move to

Washington, DC because of the troubles of moving a family crosscountry. This is not something that I think is wrong, but I believe

we are on the verge of something very good, a great thing. I had

5

an opportunity and was able to take advantage of it because I have

no family or children to consider. I was able to move on a whim.

These soldiers with families deserve the same opportunities, and

more than likely they need it.

It seems to me the system is much more stressful and financially

draining on the soldiers with families because of the waiting periods. From my experience and the experience of my comrades there

should be more emphasis on expanding Vet IT and vocational

rehab programs around the country.

My separation from the Army was made a lot smoother than expected because of people who truly care and are willing to take a

chance on a busted soldier. Even though I despise the thought of

leaving combat arms, my life after injury was put back on course

quickly, and the result was better than I could have ever hoped for.

I will forever be in debt.

It was my pleasure and my honor to fight for this great country,

and I am grateful for the opportunity to work for this organization

dedicated to veterans.

Thank you.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Wyatt follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF TRISTAN WYATT,

VETERAN OF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM

I would first like to say that it is an honor to be here. My name is Tristan Wyatt.

I enlisted in the Army as a combat engineer in October of 2002. After completion

of basic training and airborne school I was assigned to the 3rd Armored Cavalry

Regiment out of Ft. Carson, Colorado, with whom I deployed with in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in March of 2003. During a firefight in the city of Fallujah

two of my squad members and I all lost a leg on August 25th 2003. We were transported to Germany and then to Walter Reed Army hospital where I spent the better

part of 6 months in recovery and therapy.

Understanding the severity of my wounds, and against my best wishes, I knew

it was highly unlikely I would ever see a battlefield again. I was very disappointed

and even more scared; I did not know what my next step should be. As soon as I

was coherent, physical therapists begun the show up at my bedside and so did personnel from the VA. Everyday I was given information about benefits, entitlements

and health care. It was often an overwhelming amount of information, but what was

most impressive; there was always an answer to my question. They had a simple

and effective way of passing the information to me in ways I could understand and

retain. This was very important. Leaving the hospital I felt confident I had a good

understanding of what to do and where to begin when I returned home to Colorado.

The process for most of my benefits and entitlements had begun at Walter Reed,

so when I returned home it was only a matter of weeks before my entitlements and

benefits were in order. It was a fairly quick and effective process. The longest portion was the medical boarding process. Although not a huge issue for me, a single

solider. This was a big financial and emotional setback for the soldiers with families. It was very tough for these guys to wait around for months on the boarding

process in order to be home with their families and begin their new lives.

On top of everything that the VA has done for me and my family, they offered

me a job which I accepted earlier this month. It was a product of the Vet IT program at the Regional VA office here in DC. I cannot say enough about this program

and the people that run it. This program offers returning disabled Vets the opportunity at hard-to-attain GS positions within the VA IT office. Between this program

and vocational rehab there were many more opportunities available to me than I

could have imagined. It would be great to see this program implemented in other

VA offices around the country. Many vets are not willing to come to Washington

DC because of the difficulty of moving a family. This is my main concern. Not something that is wrong, but I believe we are on the verge of something great. I had

an opportunity and was able to take it because I had no family or children. I was

able to move on a whim. These soldiers with families deserve the same opportunities and more than likely need it. It seems to me the system is much more stressful

6

and financially draining on the soldiers with families. From my experience and the

experiences of my comrades, this should be a main focal point.

My separation from the Army was made a lot smoother than expected because

of these people who truly care and are willing to take a chance on a busted soldier.

My life after combat injury was put back on course quickly and the result was better

than I could have ever hoped for. I will forever be in debt. It was my pleasure and

honor to fight for this great country and I am grateful for the opportunity to work

for this outstanding organization dedicated to veterans.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much.

Lieutenant Fernandez, will you please give your testimony?

STATEMENT OF 1ST LT JOHN A. FERNANDEZ, (RET)

VETERAN OF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM

Lieutenant FERNANDEZ. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My

name is 1st Lieutenant John Fernandez, Retired. Not bad to be retired at 27. I am honored to be invited to testify about my experiences after being injured in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

I would like to first begin by thanking Chairman Craig, even

though absent this morning, Ranking Member Akaka and Members

of the Committee for giving me this incredible opportunity to testify.

To give you a brief background, I am from Rocky Point, New

York. I am a 2001 graduate of the United States Military Academy

and former captain of the Army lacrosse team. Before receiving my

injuries on April 3rd, 2003, among other responsibilities I was primarily a Multiple Launch Rocket System Platoon Leader. I was

married before deploying to Kuwait and will be celebrating my

daughter’s 1–year birthday at the end of April.

Though my military career was brief, I enjoyed every opportunity

that I was given to lead my soldiers. This was especially true during my deployment to Kuwait and the ensuing invasion of Iraq. It

was the culmination of years of training and hard work that gave

my soldiers and I the confidence to perform like a well-oiled machine. We were thrown many obstacles, but overcame adversity in

every instance.

We frequently found ourselves doing our primary job of firing

rockets, but often also found ourselves doing things that we never

thought that we would do as a Field Artillery Unit, such as raiding

buildings, traveling across the desert providing security for downed

vehicles, and pushing ourselves to points once believed out of

reach. However, we never faltered and we grew as a team.

Unfortunately, after passing through the Karbala Gap and reaching about 20 miles south of Baghdad, our team took a big blow.

After traveling for many hours we set up our battery and conducted security patrols, preparing to provide supporting fires for

the units fighting to our north. We then prepared security shifts

and started to fire rockets.

After my shift I tried to catch up on long-awaited rest. However,

that was cut short when I woke up on the ground, surrounded by

flames, with numbing pain in my legs. I felt for my legs, realized

that they were still there. I then pulled off my sleeping bag and

realized that my life had changed forever. I saw that my feet were

very badly hit.

But not knowing what had occurred at the time, it was instinct

to spring into action. I crawled to my HMMWV and grabbed my

7

rifle, flak vest and Kevlar helmet. I looked for my reconnaissance

sergeant in the HMMWV, but he was not there. I saw fuel spewing

from the bottom of the vehicle and realized I had little time before

the ammunition in the vehicle exploded. I called for my gunner,

who called back to me. I crawled to his location, and after realizing

the severity of his injuries, attempted to pull him away from the

burning HMMWV.

That night at least five of my men were seriously injured, of

which my injuries were the most severe. But more regrettably, the

three men that I worked side-by-side with every day died, including

the soldier that I attempted to save.

Immediately following the incident, I was medevaced to field hospitals within Iraq, then to Kuwait, and following Kuwait, to Spain.

Spain was my last stop before reaching Walter Reed Army Medical

Center on April 11, 2003. Throughout my journey to Walter Reed,

I received good medical care, highlighted by the effort to save as

much of my feet as possible. No amputations were attempted until

I reached stateside. After arriving at Walter Reed I was told that

I was going to receive a right below-the-knee amputation, and left

symes amputation, or below-ankle amputation. The medical care

that I received at Walter Reed was, in my opinion, phenomenal.

The doctors cared a great deal for me, and gave my family the

courtesy and respect they deserved during a time of uncertainty.

During this time my wife quit her job and left school to stand

by my side. My whole family took a great amount of time off of

work, and incurred the travel expenses to come visit me on various

occasions. My family’s lives were flipped upside down in the wake

of my injuries. Luckily, there was a great amount of support, not

only from my local community, but also from across America as a

whole. Without the monetary help that I received from my friends

and family, I would have suffered large financial losses. There was

an immense amount of financial stress placed on me, and that

would continue throughout my transition from military into civilian

life.

Though the medical care that I received was great, there were

also many difficulties that I encountered when transitioning into

my new lifestyle. The Army heavily pushed for a quick discharge.

However, after educating myself on the process, I knew that I could

not be discharged until I reached maximum medical benefit. Facing

a large pay decrease after being discharged, I had to fight to stay

on active duty until I felt that I had reached ‘‘maximum medical

benefit,’’ which for me was getting as close to my prior physical

condition as possible, whether that be running or whatever the

case, within a reasonable amount of time. I was even told that I

would receive dual compensation, or VA disability benefits and

Army retirement benefits, which actually only applies to disabled

retirees with 20 or more years of service.

I always conducted my own research, but my concern was how

many soldiers in similar situations were enticed with incorrect information? Initially I did all of my own research. However, I have

since received continued help from veteran service organizations.

Without these outside veterans organizations, such as the Wounded Warrior Project, soldiers such as myself would be very lost.

8

And this should not be. There is an overwhelming need for precise information as injured soldiers have to negotiate through a bureaucratic process to transition into a new situation. And it is the

Government’s job to provide this information in an effective manner in order to facilitate the future success for injured soldiers.

I finished the medical board process 16 months after being injured, and entered military disability retirement, where I took advantage of Veterans Affairs services offered. Again, I was lucky

enough to have veterans organizations help me parley the overwhelming amount of information. My wife and I are attending

graduate school full time on dependent’s education and vocational

rehabilitation benefits respectively. I will also be using the VA

grant for specially adapted housing. However, because of the financial strain of preparing myself for future employment, which is not

a short process, it was necessary for me to also obtain Social Security disability benefits.

I am very grateful for all of the services that I have been provided from my Government. I never realized how great America

was until I went to Iraq and saw how differently I could have been

raised. I am truly proud to be an American. If I had the chance

to go back in time, I would choose the same path to defend this

country every single time.

This country has stood by my side and provided me with a great

amount of financial help. However, I was injured in the beginning

of the war, and can only hope and advocate for the same support

to continue for the soldiers being injured today, because I know

without the help of American society, I would have been in much

more dire financial stress. However remarkable the support from

society is, the question remains, should this be the job of the American people?

Again, I would like to thank you for this opportunity to testify.

I would now be willing to answer questions.

[The prepared statement of Lt. Fernandez follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF 1ST LIEUTENANT JOHN A. FERNANDEZ, (RET)

VETERAN OF OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM

Good morning Ladies and Gentlemen. My name is 1LT John Fernandez (RET),

and I am honored to be invited to testify about my experiences after being injured

during Operation Iraqi Freedom. I would like to begin by first thanking Chairman

Craig, Ranking Member Akaka and Members of the Committee for giving me the

incredible opportunity to testify.

To give you a brief background—again my name is 1LT John Fernandez (RET)

and I am from Rocky Point, NY. I am a 2001 graduate of the United States Military

Academy and former captain of the Army Lacrosse Team. Before receiving my injuries on April 3, 2003, among other responsibilities, I was primarily a Multiple

Launch Rocket System Platoon Leader. I was married before deploying to Kuwait

and will be celebrating my daughter’s 1-year birthday at the end of April.

Though my military career was brief, I enjoyed every opportunity that I was given

to lead my soldiers. This was especially true during my deployment to Kuwait, and

the ensuing invasion of Iraq. It was the culmination of years of training and hard

work that gave my soldiers and I the confidence to perform like a well-oiled machine. We were thrown many obstacles, but overcame adversity in every instance.

We frequently found ourselves doing our primary job of firing rockets, but often, also

found ourselves doing things we never thought that we would do as a Field Artillery

unit such as: raiding buildings, traveling across the desert providing security for

downed vehicles, and pushing ourselves to points once believed to be out of reach—

however, we never faltered, and we grew as a team.

9

Unfortunately, after passing through the Karbala Gap, and reaching about 20

miles south of Baghdad, our team took a big blow. After traveling for many hours

we set up our battery, and conducted security patrols preparing to provide supporting fire for units fighting to our north. We then prepared security shifts and

started to fire rockets. After my shift, I tried to catch up on long awaited rest. However, that was cut short when I woke up on the ground, surrounded by flames, with

numbing pain in my legs. I felt for my legs, realized that they were still there. I

then pulled off my sleeping bag, and realized that my life had changed forever. I

saw that my feet were very badly hit. But not knowing what had occurred at the

time, it was instinct to spring into action. I crawled to my HUMMWV and grabbed

my rifle, flak vest and Kevlar helmet. I looked for my reconnaissance sergeant in

the HUMMWV, but he was not there. I saw fuel spewing from the bottom of the

vehicle and realized that I had little time before the ammunition exploded. I called

for my gunner, who called back to me. I crawled to his location, and after realizing

the severity of his injuries, attempted to pull him away from the burning

HUMMWV.

That night at least five of my men were seriously injured, of which my injuries

were the most severe. But more regrettably, the three men that I worked side-byside with everyday, died, including the soldier that I attempted to save.

Immediately following the incident I was medevaced to field hospitals within Iraq,

then to Kuwait, and following Kuwait to Spain. Spain was my last stop before

reaching Walter Reed Army Medical Center on April 11, 2003. Throughout my journey to Walter Reed I received good medical care, highlighted by the effort to save

as much of my feet as possible. No amputations were attempted until I reached

stateside. After arriving at Walter Reed, I was told that I was going to receive a

right below-the-knee amputation, and left symes (or below ankle amputation). The

medical care that I received at Walter Reed was, in my opinion, phenomenal. The

doctors cared a great deal for me and gave my family the courtesy and respect they

deserved during a time of uncertainty.

During this time my wife quit her job and left school to stand by my side. My

whole family took a great amount of time off of work, and incurred the travel expenses to come visit me on various occasions. My family’s lives were flipped upside

down in the wake of my injuries. Luckily, there was a great amount of support from

not only my local community, but also from across America as a whole. Without the

monetary help that I received from friends and family I would have suffered large

financial losses. There was an immense amount of financial stress placed on me,

and that would continue throughout my transition from military into civilian life.

Though the medical care that I received was great, there were also many difficulties that I encountered when transitioning into my new lifestyle. The Army heavily

pushed for a quick discharge. However, after educating myself on the process, I

knew that I could not be discharged until I reached maximum medical benefit. Facing a large pay decrease after being discharged, I had to fight to stay on active duty

until I felt that I reached ‘‘maximum medical benefit’’ which for me was getting as

close to my prior physical condition as possible within a reasonable amount of time.

I was even told that I would receive dual compensation, or VA disability benefits

and Army retirement benefits. Which only applies to disabled retires with 20 or

more years of service. I always conducted my own research, but my concern was

‘‘How many soldiers in similar situations were enticed with incorrect information?’’

Initially, I did all of my own research, however, I have since received continued help

from veterans organizations. Without these outside veterans’ organizations, such as

the wounded warrior project, soldiers such as myself would be very lost. And this

just should not be. There is an overwhelming need for precise information as injured

soldiers have to negotiate though a bureaucratic process to transition into a new situation. And it is the Government’s job to provide this information in an effective

manner, in order to facilitate the future success for injured soldiers.

I finished the medical board process 16 months after being injured, and entered

military disability retirement where I took advantage of the VA services offered.

Again, I was lucky enough to have veterans organizations help me parley the overwhelming amount of information. My wife and I are attending graduate school fulltime, on dependant’s education and vocational rehabilitation benefits respectively.

I will also be using the VA grant for specially adapted housing. However, because

of the financial strain of preparing myself for future employment, which is not a

short process, it was necessary for me to also obtain Social Security disability benefits.

I am very grateful for all of the services that have been provided from my government. I never realized how great America was until I went to Iraq and saw how

differently I could have been raised. I am truly proud to be an American. If I had

the chance to go back in time, I would choose the same path to defend this country

10

every time. The country has stood by my side and provided me with a great amount

of financial help. However, I was injured in the beginning of the war, and can only

hope and advocate for the same support to continue for the soldiers being injured

today. Because, I know without the help of American society, I would have been in

much more dire financial distress. However remarkable the support from society is,

the question remains: should this be the job of the American public?

I would like to thank you again for this opportunity to testify. I would now be

willing to answer questions that anyone may have.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you both for your testimony and for being

here this morning. I know you have alluded to some of the experiences you have had, but let me ask both of you, and tell you that

I would like to know about each of your personal experiences in

transitioning from the military to civilian life. Tell me how you

found the process. Were you given appropriate and helpful information by VA and DOD? Have either of you utilized the Department

of Labor’s service? What did these agencies do well? What can be

done better?

Lieutenant Fernandez?

Lieutenant FERNANDEZ. Sir, as I mentioned earlier, it is a lot of

information to grasp as you go through the process, and a lot of

times in going through that process, you get told a variety of information from just as many different people, and a lot of times that

is hard to grasp, especially as you are trying to cope with a new

lifestyle, the injuries that you sustained, and looking toward the future, wondering, now that my military career is over, what does

the future hold for me?

So I think that it would be helpful, I guess, to facilitate the process for the flow of information. And I know that the veterans service organizations helped me do that because they were one place

that I could go. They were one avenue that I could go that would

give me the answers that I needed and they would send me in the

right direction.

Senator AKAKA. Mr. Wyatt?

Mr. WYATT. I definitely agree with that. One of the biggest problems was just a lot of information being given at one point, and if

there was a more organized manner that they could give it to you,

that would definitely help the problem.

Another thing is there is a lot of waiting around going on, a lot

of waiting for the med boards to happen. At that point you are still

receiving Army military compensation which does not take care of

a lot of the expenses, especially for soldiers with families.

A great thing that could happen is if the med board process was

sped up somehow. It seems like a lot of paperwork gets lost, misplaced, and it just seems like there is a lack of organization sometimes. It really did not seem like we were prepared for the amount

of wounded that were really going to come in from this war. That

would definitely help the situation.

Senator AKAKA. To both of you, during the process of

transitioning from active duty to the veteran status, when were

you first contacted by VA? In your opinion, do you believe that it

was the right time, or should it have been sooner or later?

Lieutenant FERNANDEZ. Sir, I know right away I was contacted

when I was in the hospital, which was very reassuring knowing

that there were people there to help me out. A lot of times initially

though, a lot of that information was thrown at me, and as menVerDate 03-FEB-2003 13:16 Nov 16, 2005 Jkt 022553 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 D:\DOCS\22553.TXT SSC1 PsN: SSC1
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tioned earlier, at certain points it became overwhelming. Over time

I was able to kind of sift through the information and make sense

out of it and understand where it fit into my future goals. I believe

that there was a sufficient amount of help there, but the organization of that information and the way that it is presented to the soldiers when they are in the hospital might be presented a little bit

easier.

Senator AKAKA. Mr. Wyatt?

Mr. WYATT. Definitely. Soon as I can remember waking up in the

hospital there was someone from the VA. To say it was too early,

I do not think that is accurate. I think that they should show up

as much as possible. You see so many faces in the hospital, so

many people are coming around feeding you information, like John

said, that it is tough to even figure out who was who and who was

from what organization.

What helped me the best, and a lot of my comrades over there,

was to see them over and over and over again. Even if they are

coming in to give you the same information, the repetition is important. You need to see that face, because there are so many people

coming in to see you, whether it be doctors or press or the VA. You

have to have that personal connection with them. I think that is

important.

Senator AKAKA. Let me follow up before I turn to Senator Murray. Did VA contact you after their initial contact to remind you

of services and programs they could provide, and when was that

contact made?

Lieutenant FERNANDEZ. Yes, sir. VA did a lot of follow-up to

make sure that I understood the programs that were available to

me and the different opportunities that I had through the organization. I think that the repetition is important. As Tristan had mentioned, the repetition is important because you are given so much

information. It was reassuring to know that the Administration

was there to help out through the process.

Senator AKAKA. Mr. Wyatt?

Mr. WYATT. They contacted me as soon as I got home to Colorado

from Walter Reed, and that seems to me to be where most of the

wires get crossed, is when you leave the medical facility to go back

home. It would be good if they had better points-of-contact from

Walter Reed, so when you—I mean moving is a traumatic experience for anybody, and you are going to forget to call when you get

home, so it would be good if they had plenty of points-of-contact,

lots of people you can talk to when you return, but the VA did

make a very good attempt at contacting me at every major transition point.

Senator AKAKA. Senator Murray.

Senator MURRAY. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you to both of you for coming and testifying before the

Committee today, and helping us understand some of what you

have gone through so we can do a good job for those who are returning.

One of the concerns I have, coming from Washington State—you

are from Colorado—we are a long ways away from Walter Reed. So

when our soldiers return home if they have not either gone through

Walter Reed and been sent out or just gone directly home, whether

12

or not there is sufficient support services for them out there. You

were at Walter Reed. You had people at your bedside every day.

What have you heard from other soldiers who have just gone

straight back to California or Washington or Colorado, far away

from here, about their ability to get good service?

Lieutenant FERNANDEZ. Well, ma’am, as Mr. Wyatt had mentioned, the transition is a difficult one, and maintaining points-ofcontact and maintaining similar information as you move, because

when you move you are in most cases dealing with different representatives of the Veterans Affairs. So I know for me it was good

to have a single point-of-contact through a veterans service organization that I dealt with the whole time, and they kind of helped

me sift through that information, and I know that other soldiers

have had problems getting the same information because in many

cases they are dealing with different people. So that is an obstacle

that I believe needs to be overcome.

Senator MURRAY. Mr. Wyatt?

Mr. WYATT. I definitely agree with that, as well as—I wear a

prosthetic leg, and it seems to me Walter Reed is the mecca of

prosthetics. They have all the new equipment. Everything is there.

It gets cranked out in a timely fashion. Anytime I needed something serviced, it was immediate at Walter Reed. The biggest thing

that I had to deal with was once I got to Denver they did not have

all the equipment that Walter Reed did and I was not used to the

process and things took a long time, and it gets frustrating.

I opted to stay at Walter Reed for 6 months because someone informed me of this. My team leader, who had arrived earlier in the

same incident in Iraq, opted to go back to Colorado. I received my

prosthetic leg the same time he did, and he had been in the system

for a few weeks more than I had, so we were at the same progress

level, but I think what stymied his process was Walter Reed and

the VAs in the other States need to stay in contact with the technology and with the new products, new legs, you know, everything

that goes into this prosthetic development.

Senator MURRAY. What about post traumatic stress syndrome?

We are hearing a lot about soldiers who are returning, the stress

situations that they are in and PTSD occurring after you have been

discharged. What has been your experience with that?

Lieutenant FERNANDEZ. Ma’am, I know in my situation, from the

minute I hit the hospital I adopted the attitude that I was not

going to feel sorry for myself because of the soldiers that had

passed away in the incident. Their families cannot say that. I think

it really depends on the individual, therefore each individual needs

to be assessed in a manner and they need to be reached out, and

I know that was a big thing through Veterans Affairs, and they

made sure that I was not undergoing any overdue emotional stress

due to my injuries and situations that I might have encountered

in Iraq.

So I know that that problem was handled very well from the Veterans Affairs standpoint.

Senator MURRAY. Mr. Wyatt?

Mr. WYATT. From what I have seen returning from combat, and

especially if you are injured, PTSD is going to be the last thing on

your mind, and to have that assessed at Walter Reed is—it is effecVerDate 03-FEB-2003 13:16 Nov 16, 2005 Jkt 022553 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 D:\DOCS\22553.TXT SSC1 PsN: SSC1
13

tive, but not as effective as it could be if it were assessed when you

end up home with your family. PTSD is not going to be prevalent

at an Army installation with a bunch of soldiers that just got back

from combat. They are not going to want to go through the assessments. They are going to want to go home and see their families.

They are going to want to get out of there. They are not going to

want to hear it.

I think it would be much more effective to immediately assess

them once they got home, before something did happen, but once

they get home to their natural environment, that is when things

start to teeter. I think it would be great, you know, in my instance,

once I got home and I got to the Denver VA that was high on the

priority list to be assessed there.

Senator MURRAY. My time is short, but I want to ask one other

question. Lieutenant Fernandez, you talked about kind of pressure

to be discharged. How did you experience that? Were people suggesting that you be discharged and——

Lieutenant FERNANDEZ. Well, ma’am, I think it again depends on

the individual. In my case, it was not more beneficial for me to get

out of the military. I was earning more of an income staying in,

and as I went through the transition process I did not want to be,

I guess, thrown out of the system and making less money when I

had not reached what I myself determined as maximum medical

benefit. For me, that was what I was running.

Senator MURRAY. Did people suggest to you that you should be

discharged?

Lieutenant FERNANDEZ. I think over the past few years they

have tried to speed up the process, speed up the medical board

process, but again, it has to be dependent on the individual. In

some cases it is not going to be beneficial for the individual soldier

to be rushed out of the military, and I think it really has to be dependent on the soldiers themselves, and they need to have a say

in that process.

Senator MURRAY. I appreciate both of you coming today.

Mr. Chairman, just for the record, that is one of the concerns I

have. I have fought long and hard for additional funding for the VA

because of the influx of the soldiers coming in and the needs that

are out there.

One of the things I have heard from the other side is that these

soldiers are part of the DOD system and the costs have not been

put on the VA system. But I am hearing from many soldiers that

they are being pushed very hard to be discharged, and as long as

that pressure is there, we had better have the funding for veterans.

It is one of the reasons I have fought hard for this.

I appreciate both of you being here, and I will continue to do

what I can to make sure we are there for you as you return home.

Thank you.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you, Senator Murray.

Senator Salazar, any comments or questions?

14

STATEMENT OF HON. KEN SALAZAR,

U.S. SENATOR FROM COLORADO

Senator SALAZAR. Thank you very much, Senator Akaka.

And thank you, Lt. Fernandez and Mr. Wyatt. Thank you for

your service to our country. And Mr. Wyatt, since you have your

roots in Colorado it is my honor to see you here and if there is ever

anything that I can do for you as you move forward with the very

long and productive life that you have ahead of you, I would be delighted to be at your services, as well as you, Lt. Fernandez.

Senator Akaka, I just want to thank you and Senator Craig for

bringing the attention that you are bringing to this very important

issue. I know that both of you have introduced an amendment to

create an insurance program to help the injured servicemembers,

to help their families cope with the increased burdens that they

face when they face major injuries. And I am proud to work with

both you and with Senator Craig on this important legislation.

We have all heard on this Committee from veterans in our States

that there are a number of challenges that the VA faces in ensuring a smooth transition from active service duty to VA care. The

first is simple demographics. More than 250,000 servicemembers

who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq have left the military. Sometimes I think it is easy for us to forget that number, but we are

talking about a quarter million lives, a quarter million members of

our military services who have served there, and more than 11,000

of these troops have been injured in those operations, 11,000 people. I come from a small town that only has 840 people in the

southern part of Colorado, and I can think about the sheer size of

the numbers of military personnel that have been injured or

wounded in both Afghanistan and Iraq. And with the kinds of injuries that these soldiers have received, it is important for us as a

Nation to make sure that we are doing everything we can to provide the seamless transition between DOD and the VA.

I know that there have been problems. The VBA has had some

trouble in dealing with benefits claims long before we went into

war in Iraq. Though there has been some progress recently. I understand that the times for processing disability claims has gone

from a high of 230 days to 160 days. When you think about having

to wait in line for 160 days to have your claims processed, in my

mind that is far too long. There is progress. I believe that the VBA

and Veterans Administration are working on a number of different

programs, but I hope that this hearing today will help us work

with the VA and the VBA to make sure that we provide the best

services we can to our veterans, and that we assure the seamless

transition that we ought to have between DOD and the VA.

I have a more extended statement, but I will just submit that for

the record, Senator Akaka.

[The prepared statement of Senator Salazar follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. KEN SALAZAR,

U.S. SENATOR FROM COLORADO

Thank you, Chairman Craig and Senator Akaka, for bringing needed attention to

this important issue and for already taking steps to help soldiers returning home

from Iraq and Afghanistan.

15

Senators Craig and Akaka are introducing an amendment to create an insurance

program for injured servicemembers to help their families cope with the increased

burdens they face. I am proud that you both worked together on this legislation and

I am proud to co-sponsor it.

However, as we have all heard from veterans in our States, there are a number

of challenges that the VA faces in smoothing the transition from active duty service

to VA care.

The first is simple demographics. More than 250,000 servicemembers who fought

in Afghanistan and Iraq have left the military. More than 11,000 troops have been

injured in these operations. Many of these soldiers are returning home with missing

limbs or major burns, but thousands more have wounds that are more subtle and

will take years to diagnose.

The second is administrative. The VBA had trouble dealing with benefits claims

long before we went to war with Iraq.

There has been some important progress recently, including reducing wait times

for disability claims from a high of 230 days to 160 days. The Home Loan Guarantee

Program, in particular, has seen amazing administrative successes dropping approval time from weeks to mere minutes.

However, 321,000 veterans are still waiting for disability claims decisions. Veterans have to wait an average of 8 to 10 weeks to get their GI Bill benefits. Vets

who do not immediately apply to Vocational Rehabilitation are sometimes lost to the

system for years.

A recent GAO report indicates that the VA has trouble anticipating its disability

workload from year to year and has not fully accounted for more complicated claims

stemming from war-related injuries.

The third administrative challenge deals directly with the transition from DOD

to VA. VA has done a great deal to reach out to troops returning home from Iraq

and Afghanistan. But there many veterans are falling through the cracks.

The VA has recognized this problem and has done its best to make it better. The

VA has set up task forces and dispatched case workers to military medical treatment facilities. They have tried to reach incoming veterans earlier and better coordinate with the DOD.

These efforts have done a lot of good. As we will hear from those who have been

through the system, it does work for many people. But independent analysis has

consistently shown that there are still huge gaps.

The VA is having trouble getting the information they need from the DOD. The

sharing of information and quality of casework management varies greatly from region to region. In some cases the DOD only gives the VA the names of new patients,

with no information on severity of injury. In other cases, injured soldiers who do

not apply for VA services immediately are lost to the system.

This is an administrative problem with huge implications for our fighting men

and women. It is also a problem that will not be fixed with half-measures.

It is clear that the DOD needs to work more closely with the VA to share medical

information. The VA also needs to redouble its efforts to fill the gaps in its outreach

to make sure that seriously injured veterans are never lost to the system.

I look forward to the testimony today and to tackling this problem in a comprehensive way.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much, Senator Salazar.

There is currently a wealth of information available for

transitioning disabled servicemembers on the Internet and through

a 1–800 number. There are also the Army’s Disabled Soldier Support System, the Marine For Life program, the Military One Source

Program, and DOD’s Military Severely Injured and Joint Support

Operation Center.

Were you aware of any of these programs? And if you were

aware of them, did you use them, and did you find them helpful

if you did use them as a referral source or in answering those questions?

Lieutenant Fernandez.

Lieutenant FERNANDEZ. Sir, I believe the Disabled Soldiers Support System had contacted me at one time, and basically was information that I had already received. I think part of the problem lies

in the fact that there are so many of these organizations, and there

16

needs to be, I guess, a seamless amount of information, and they

need to deal with the process in similar ways, because you cannot

have all of these organizations operating in different directions

with the same goals.

Senator AKAKA. Mr. Wyatt?

Mr. WYATT. I definitely agree. There is a lot of information coming from a lot of different sources, and they may only call one time.

I got calls from a few while I was in the hospital, and it is tough

to process all that information at one time and especially if they

only call one time. You have no way of getting back to them. You

are not quite sure even what they said sometimes. So if it could

be all centralized and the information could be given in an organized manner that will cut a lot of the problems out.

Senator AKAKA. I want to thank you, Mr. Wyatt, and also to congratulate you with securing employment with VA, working on

cyber security issues. I think that is wonderful when our Federal

Government can hire recently separated servicemembers into the

Federal workforce. Would you explain how you became aware of

employment opportunities with VA?

Mr. WYATT. While I was in the hospital at Walter Reed, I was

confronted with a program called Vocational Rehab. Pretty much

what that does is it is really personalized testing that helps with

education and employment. From there I was introduced to the

Veterans IT program at the Regional VA over here. They contacted

me about this program, and it helps disabled veterans acquire

these hard-to-get GS position levels in the VA.

Senator AKAKA. Lieutenant Fernandez, thank you for your testimony too and your remarks, and your service to our Nation. I was

very happy to see that you are utilizing the vocational rehabilitation benefits that are provided by VA too. I was additionally

pleased to know that your wife is using VA benefits to get her master’s degree in early childhood education. As a former teacher myself, I am very happy to see that both of you are pursuing careers

in education.

What additional services do you think the Government should be

providing to servicemembers and their families?

Lieutenant FERNANDEZ. Sir, I think that the education benefits

and the vocational rehabilitation benefits are outstanding, and they

help you through that transition period. However, as I go to full

time to get my graduate degree and my wife does the same thing

in the goal to transition into a new career, it becomes very difficult

to obtain other employment, and there is financial stress that is incurred with that, and I think that can be addressed.

Even though there is money that is in place while you do receive

educational benefits and while you do go to school, I am not sure

if it is sufficient enough to be able to support a family while this

is going on, especially in differing areas of the country. Costs of living differ throughout the country, and I should not be forced to live

in a area where perhaps the cost of living is lower just to meet the

needs of my family.

Senator AKAKA. I thank both of you for your testimony, and no

question it will be helpful to us in our work in the Senate.

Senator, do you have any other questions?

17

Senator SALAZAR. Just one quick question, if I may, Mr. Chairman, and that is to Mr. Wyatt.

Since you went through the VA program in Colorado as I understand it, how was that experience for you, and do you have any recommendations that you might want to make to me on how we

might be able to improve that system?

Mr. WYATT. The personnel and the staff you have there are a

class act. I was treated like a king from the second I walked in

there. You have great people. My only concern is points-of-contact.

Coming from Walter Reed to Colorado there was a little bit of a

discrepancy about who to contact and about what. The other thing

would be the prosthetics department. They are great people down

there. I think maybe with a little more funding, little bit more

technology, they could really keep up with the things that Walter

Reed put out. It seems like maybe a lot of the prosthetic work

takes a little bit too long to get out because they do not have the

proper tools to do the job.

A lot of these soldiers coming back are going to be wounded with

missing extremities. There is a lot of it. I have been seeing a lot

of it. A lot of my friends are missing extremities, and I think that

would be a great main focus of the Denver VA. Other than that,

they are doing a spectacular job.

Senator SALAZAR. We may have an opportunity if we can get

moving on this new hospital out at Fitzsimmons to focus in on that

particular need.

Mr. WYATT. Definitely.

Senator SALAZAR. I know you are new in the system. I guess this

is a question to both Lt. Fernandez and Mr. Wyatt. One of the

problems that I think we have seen in this Committee is the difficulty in the VA keeping in touch with our veterans over the long

term. We recently had a GAO report that said that veterans many

times do not apply for vocational aid immediately. They wait for a

while to get their application, and sometimes what happens is in

that gap of time the VA loses contact with its veterans. You obviously are success stories of what the Veterans Administration has

done, but do you have any suggestions about how the VA can make

sure it stays in contact with its veterans over the long period of

time as opposed to just in the period of your injury and then the

transition from DOD over to the VA system? Looking out, you are

still very young men, and you obviously are going to be interfacing

with the VA over a long period of time. Any suggestions on how

we can assure that we keep that connectedness there?

Lieutenant FERNANDEZ. Yes, sir. I think again it is going to come

down to simplifying the ways that veterans are informed about the

programs that are available to them. It is a bit daunting looking

at it, especially when you are coming home with these injuries and

you do not know what the future holds. There is a little bit of

paper pushing involved when it comes to obtaining these things,

and sometimes you run into problems with when you are able to

get them and there is a lack in time and you really have to stay

on top of the process. That at times is a daunting task.

So if the process is simplified and information is simplified and

given to the veterans to let them know exactly what they are eligible for and how they go about doing it in the most effective manVerDate 03-FEB-2003 13:16 Nov 16, 2005 Jkt 022553 PO 00000 Frm 00021 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 D:\DOCS\22553.TXT SSC1 PsN: SSC1
18

ner, then I think that would definitely help out the process in helping veterans get things that are going to help them in their future.

Senator SALAZAR. Mr. Wyatt?

Mr. WYATT. I definitely agree. Another thing that needs to be

thought is a lot of enlisted soldiers, especially some of the ones I

served with, joined the military and expected to be in there 20

years maybe as an alternative to going to college. You know, college is great. It is not for everybody. When you get discharged

medically you realize that your career in the military is over, and

you cannot do that. College seems a little—it seems, you know,

maybe it was not what you had planned for, maybe you did not

want to go right away, and they do take time to think about it. I

think the VA needs just to stay in contact to make sure they are

making progress, whether it be vocational rehab or a trade school

or something. I think that it would be great if the VA just continually kept in contact just to make sure you are making progress,

that you are not slipping through the cracks. That seems to be a

big deal. People just seem to slip through and there is no contact

made after a while.

Senator SALAZAR. Thank you very much.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much, Senator Salazar.

I want to thank our witnesses, our first panel very much for your

testimony. Thank you again, because as I repeat, it will be helpful

to us. Thank you.

[Applause.]

Senator AKAKA. May I at this time welcome the second panel:

Admiral Daniel Cooper, who is Under Secretary for Benefits, representing the Department of Veterans Affairs; Frederico Juarbe,

Jr., Assistant Secretary, Veterans Employment and Training, representing the Department of Labor and representing the Department of Defense; and John Molino, Assistant Secretary of Defense

for Community and Family Policy, representing the Department of

Defense.

At this time, let me call a 3–minute recess.

[Recess.]

Senator AKAKA. The hearing will be in order.

Again, I would like to welcome this panel and ask for your testimony, Admiral Daniel Cooper.

STATEMENT OF ADMIRAL DANIEL L. COOPER, UNDER

SECRETARY FOR BENEFITS, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS

AFFAIRS; ACCOMPANIED BY ROBERT J. EPLEY, ASSOCIATE

DEPUTY UNDER SECRETARY FOR POLICY AND PROGRAM

MANAGEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Adm. COOPER. Senator Akaka, Senator Salazar, I am honored to

be here today to discuss this very important issue of transition assistance provided to our returning servicemembers. I respectfully

request that my written testimony be entered into the record.

Let me also say that I was extremely impressed as I sat here and

listened to the very powerful testimony by your first panel.

Another thing I would like to do, I would like Linda Petty to

stand up. Linda Petty is our representative at Walter Reed, and

she is the one that has been responsible for this very good attempt

19

at communications with all our young men and women returning.

Did she stand up? I cannot see her.

Senator AKAKA. Yes, she did.

Adm. COOPER. She has done a superb job for us and she has been

out there about a year now.

In the endeavor that we have here, VA works in concert with

both the Department of Defense and Department of Labor. Our veterans range from returning men and women of the regular armed

forces, the National Guard and the Reserve components, to those

seriously disabled individuals who are case managed as they acclimate to the civilian world and the disabilities which they have received.

In response to the thousands of returning veterans from Iraq and

Afghanistan, VA has taken a number of steps to ensure a smooth

and seamless transition from military service to their country to

the status of veterans. My opinion is that we are doing more and

providing real assistance to a degree not seen before in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In mid–2003 we recognized the need to develop case management procedures for those seriously disabled servicemembers and

veterans who file a claim for disability compensation. This ensures

that these individuals receive the highest level of service and all

possible benefits to which they are entitled in the most expeditious

and compassionate manner. For those who are not seriously injured, VBA policy does not require case management, but does require a higher-than-normal level of service, calling for direct contact and assistance in filing claims.

VBA has assigned full-time claims representatives to the Walter

Reed Army Medical Center, the National Naval Medical Center in

Bethesda, as well as representatives at other major military treatment facilities or MTFs across the Nation. These individuals also

provide benefit counseling to seriously disabled servicemembers

and their families. They serve as liaison and initiate paperwork for

disability compensation claims to ensure that we have rapid processing prior to discharge and that benefits are available as soon as

legally possible for those veterans.

We have OIF/OEF coordinators designated in each one of our regional offices to act as liaison with the VA medical centers, the

military facilities, and other regional offices. I have tasked the regional office directors with ensuring that each one of our returning

men and women are under VA control and we know where they are

and what we can do for them.

Our benefits delivery at discharge, or BDD, program has continued to expand. This program facilitates the adjudication process for

claims at the time of discharge. Servicemembers can file disability

compensation claims prior to discharge from the military and take

advantage of a significantly faster processing time once they are

discharged.

VBA has significantly increased outreach efforts to all

servicemembers, and particularly to those returning from active

duty in the National Guard and Reserve units. VA developed and

distributes pamphlets, brochures and educational videos designed

for returning servicemembers, for VA employees and others involved in this important effort. These resources are utilized at varVerDate 03-FEB-2003 13:16 Nov 16, 2005 Jkt 022553 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 D:\DOCS\22553.TXT SSC1 PsN: SSC1
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ious outreach events such as transition assistance briefings, benefits briefings aboard returning aircraft carriers in the last 2 years,

and Guard and Reserve briefings. In fiscal year 2004, VBA conducted more than 7,200 pre-separation benefits briefings for more

than 260,000 active duty attendees, and 1,400 pre- and post-separation briefings were given to 83,000 Reserve and Guard members.

Our Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program has improved to support veterans disabled in service, to include assigning

a full-time vocational rehab contractor to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Procedures are in place at other major MTFs for counselors who can provide the service necessary to let those men and

women take advantage of our Vocational Rehabilitation Programs.

Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Guidebooks were developed specifically for helping disabled servicemembers make an informed choice about the program best suited for them. And we

have established important relationships with both Federal and

private entities who are willing to hire injured OIF and OEF

servicemembers.

The Department of Veterans Affairs has made, and continues to

make, tremendous strides in service to our returning

servicemembers.

I appreciate the chance to be here and I will be glad to answer

any questions that you may have.

[The prepared statement of Adm. Cooper follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF ADMIRAL DANIEL L. COOPER, UNDER SECRETARY FOR

BENEFITS, DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, I appreciate this opportunity to

testify today on this important issue. Providing outreach to military service men

and women, including Reserve and National Guard members, is a vital responsibility of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and particularly the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA). We have dramatically increased our outreach activities

over the last several years to reach servicemembers, not only when they are preparing to separate or retire from the military, but also upon their induction into

service and during service.

VBA is working with the Department of Defense (DOD) to ensure that all Military

Entrance Process Stations (MEPS) give every inductee a copy of VA Pamphlet (21–

00–1), A Summary of VA Benefits. We began providing this pamphlet to inductees

in November 2004. It exposes new servicemembers to basic information about the

VA benefits and services for which they will be eligible when they leave military

service. We are also working with the military service departments to ensure that

information packets distributed to Individual Ready Reserve and Individual Mobilization Augmentees during the demobilization process include information on VA

benefits and services.

Prior to separation or retirement from the military, VBA provides much more extensive information to servicemembers on specific VA benefits and services in which

they might be even more interested as they depart the military. This information

is conveyed in transition briefings as part of a formal 3-day Transition Assistance

Program (TAP), and during the Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP), as

well as during individual interviews. To further improve DTAP briefings, VBA’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment Service developed a standardized

PowerPoint presentation and a new orientation video that greatly improve the quality and consistency of our outreach briefings for servicemembers, including Guard

and Reserve members.

During fiscal year 2004, VBA representatives conducted over 7,000 briefings,

which were attended by over 261,000 active duty personnel and their families residing in the United States. Included were 1,400 briefings for more than 88,000 Reserve and National Guard members for whom VBA provides pre- and post-deployment briefings. In fiscal year 2005 to date, VBA has conducted just under 4000 transition briefings attended by 157,000 plus participants. Nine-hundred-seventy-four of

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those briefings were for over 68,000 Reserve/Guard members. Returning Reserve/

Guard members can elect to attend the formal TAP Workshop as well as DTAP.

In addition to the briefings conducted in the United States, in fiscal year 2004

we conducted 625 overseas transition briefings for more than 15,180

servicemembers. Our people boarded three aircraft carriers and, during the return

transit, conducted TAP briefings onboard the USS Constellation, USS Enterprise, and USS George Washington (on their return to the United States from extended

deployments). To date this fiscal year, we have conducted 232 overseas transition

briefings for 5,600 servicemembers, and will continue to support additional requests

from the Department of the Navy for TAP briefings onboard ships.

VBA has coordinated its efforts with military officials at the major demobilization

sites to ensure that VA representatives are part of the briefings provided to returning servicemembers at the time of discharge. VBA representatives work closely with

personnel from VA’s Vet Centers at these sites.

Soon after separation or retirement from the military, veterans, including Reserve

and National Guard members called to active duty, receive a ‘‘Welcome Home Package’’ from VBA’s Veterans Assistance at Discharge System (VADS). The package includes a letter from the Secretary, a copy of VA Pamphlet (21–00–1), A Summary

of VA Benefits, and VA Form 21–0501, Veterans Benefits Timetable. A 6-month follow-up letter with similar information is also mailed to these veterans. Separate

outreach mailings are sent concerning VA education and insurance benefits. In addition, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs sends a personal letter to each Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veteran based on lists routinely provided by the Department of Defense. Included with that letter are VA

pamphlets A Summary of VA Benefits, and A Summary of VA Benefits for National

Guard and Reserve Personnel.

A VA Web page, Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, can

be accessed from VA’s home page, www.va.gov. Information specific to Reserve and

Guard members is also included on this page as well as links to other Federal benefits in which returning servicemembers may be interested. The Web page has been

accessed over 377,000 times since its activation 16 months ago.

To ensure a seamless transition for seriously injured veterans, particularly those

from Iraq and Afghanistan, VBA has stationed benefits counselors to work alongside

Veterans Health Administration social workers at key military installations where

wounded servicemembers are frequently sent. These seamless transition counselors

have been in place since 2003.

Full-time VBA representatives are assigned to work bedside with patients at both

the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC and the Bethesda Naval

Medical Center in Maryland. Part-time VBA representatives are available at five

other military medical treatment facilities throughout the U.S., and VBA representatives provide service, as needed, at all other military medical treatment facilities.

As of April 5, 2005, 5,383 hospitalized returning servicemembers have been assisted through this program at the Brooke (TX), Eisenhower (GA), Madigan (WA)

and Walter Reed (DC) Army Medical Centers; Bethesda Naval Hospital (MD); and

the Evans (CO) and Darnell (TX) Army Community Hospitals.

In addition to our disability compensation personnel, our Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) Service is actively participating with other organizations to strengthen our coordination and outreach efforts to disabled veterans. The

goal is to ensure a seamless transition for OIF and OEF veterans. In December

2004, VR&E conducted a briefing for 150 severely disabled servicemembers and

their spouses at the Salute to America’s Heroes Conference in Orlando, Florida. We

are working within such service improvement workgroups as VA’s Seamless Transition Coordination Office, the National Guard/VA Joint Workgroup, Army Disabled

Soldier Support System (DS3) Employment Workgroup, DOD/Department of Labor

(DOL) Transition Assistance Program (TAP) Steering Committee, and the Marines

for Life. VBA has assigned a point-of-contact to assist the staff at the new Department of Defense Military Severely Injured Joint Operations Center in northern Virginia to assist with inquiries from servicemembers and survivors relating to VA benefits and services.

In our efforts to provide quality services to disabled veterans, VR&E has an ongoing partnership with the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Veterans’ Employment and

Training Service (VETS). VR&E staff in 57 regional offices and more than 100

outbased VA offices work closely with DOL’s Disabled Veterans Outreach Program

Specialists (DVOPs) and Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVERs) to

assist job-seeking veterans. There are currently 71 DOL DVOPs and LVERs co-located in 35 VA regional offices and 26 outbased locations. Additionally, there are

four VR&E personnel co-located in DOL offices in Louisville, Kentucky and St. Petersburg, Florida. DVOPs and LVERs stationed or co-located with us in VR&E field

22

facilities have the opportunity to access the same resources available to VR&E staff.

This access can help to better integrate DVOPs and LVERs into the initial vocational evaluation process with the real goal of the best delivery of employment services.

VR&E has also collaborated with DOL on training for VA case managers as well

as DVOPs and LVERs. VR&E and DOL jointly produced live satellite broadcasts

about the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act

(USERRA) and special hiring authorities for Federal employment. Originally broadcast in February 2004, the USERRA broadcast explained the law and the benefits

available for veterans who desire to resume the jobs that they left when they went

on active duty or in some cases, because of a disability, be reemployed with the

same employer in a comparable position. This satellite broadcast has been shown

over 50 times. The special hiring authorities broadcast aired in July 2004 and included information on the expedited Federal hiring process for veterans with disabilities. These broadcasts provided important information for veterans seeking employment, and copies of the broadcasts continue to be distributed to VR&E and DOL

personnel across the country for use by both staff and employers. Joint efforts such

as this help to ensure seamless delivery of services to veterans by both VR&E and

DOL.

Additionally, VR&E and DOL have developed a draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) in which we agree to use our partnership to benefit veterans and

provide quality employment services. Veterans need employment assistance as they

return to civilian life and the VR&E/DOL partnership supports that need. VR&E

and DOL meet regularly to discuss progress on present collaborative efforts and future possibilities.

One of our newest and most successful initiatives is our Benefits Delivery at Discharge (BDD) program. Following our outreach efforts to servicemembers still on active duty, we now have an expedited process that will enable them to file an application for service-connected compensation even before they separate from the military.

The required physical examinations are conducted, service medical records are reviewed, and a rating decision is prepared prior to discharge and delivered as soon

thereafter as possible. For servicemembers applying while on active duty, our goal

is to adjudicate claims within 30 days from discharge. Upon receipt of the claimant’s

DD Form 214 (Report of Release from Active Military Service), benefits are immediately authorized and the recently separated veteran can receive his/her first disability check the month following the month of discharge or shortly thereafter. Currently, 141 military installations worldwide participate in this program. Included

are two sites in Germany and three in Korea. In fiscal year 2003, we processed just

under 26,000 BDD claims. In fiscal year 2004, we processed 39,000 claims. This expedited BDD process is also utilized for veterans applying for benefits within 180

days of discharge.

VA participated in a number of Family Readiness Conferences such as the Army

Reserve’s Annual Family Action Plan Conference. VBA, represented by the St. Louis

VA Regional Office, staffed a VA benefits and services information booth along with

representatives from the local Veterans Centers. It is anticipated that similar conferences will be held throughout the country. Also, local VA facilities participate in

homecoming events for servicemembers returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.

Mr. Chairman, in summary, VA outreach to servicemembers and veterans is extensive and far-reaching. This completes my statement, and I will be happy to answer any questions you and other Members of the Committee might have.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much, Admiral Cooper.

Frederico Juarbe.

STATEMENT OF FREDERICO JUARBE, JR., ASSISTANT

SECRETARY FOR VETERANS EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING,

VETERANS EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Mr. JUARBE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Senator Salazar.

It is an honor to be here and to have been present to listen to

the first panel, Mr. Chairman. It is men like Lieutenant Fernandez

and Mr. Wyatt is what we are all about as America’s servicemen

and America’s veterans, and them and their comrades in arms who

stand in harm’s way to defend us around the world against terrorism and to protect our freedom, so I am honored to be here.

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I am pleased to update you on the efforts of this Department

with respect to ensuring that our servicemembers returning home

from active duty military or following activations in the National

Guard or Reserve are afforded the opportunity to transition to civilian life in the most seamless fashion.

Like you, we are equally committed to providing America’s veterans and transitioning servicemembers with the help they need to

succeed in the 21st century workforce. We share your passion for

ensuring a seamless continuum of services.

To that end we work closely with Federal, State and private sector partners in order to leverage the effectiveness of our services

to both the veterans and the military community.

The Veterans Employment and Training Service is ideally structured to ensure these services are provided through its network of

directors located in every State, working in close cooperation with

the network of State veterans employment representatives that are

provided through the Jobs for Veterans Act grants. The Transition

Assistance Program is a partnership between the Departments of

Labor, Defense, Homeland Security and Veterans Affairs.

Our role is to provide as many comprehensive workshops as possible, where participants learn about job searches, career decisionmaking, current occupational and labor market conditions, resume

and cover letter preparation and interviewing techniques. Participants are also provided an evaluation of their employability relative to the job market. We offer TAP workshops throughout the

United States and in Germany, the United Kingdom, Guam, Mainland Japan, Okinawa, Korea and Italy. Our goal is to provide TAP

at every location requested by the armed services.

Mr. Chairman, I am sure you will agree that with regard to our

recently wounded and injured servicemembers such as those on our

first panel, we need to do everything we can to help them rebuild

their lives.

Secretary Chao set out to do just that when she tasked my office

with the creation of a program that specifically addresses the needs

of our returning wounded and their families. It is called the Recovery and Employment Assistance Lifeline. The REALifeline’s program is the culmination of a collaborative planning process that

began in November 2003, which included the Federal Departments

of Defense and Veterans Affairs, veterans service organizations,

State Governments, State workforce agencies, private employers

and even military service organizations like the USO. REALifelines

seeks to support the economic recovery and reemployment of

transitioning wounded and injured servicemembers and their families by identifying barriers to employment or reemployment, and

addressing those needs as early as possible.

REALifelines has placed new specialists at Walter Reed, Bethesda, Fort Sam Houston in Texas and Fort Lewis in Washington,

but its primary mission is to ensure easy access to the entire range

of employment, reemployment, job training, workplace accommodation and supportive services available through the Career One-Stop

Service system, and not only to the servicemember, but to the families that support them, and to spouses who have temporarily left

their local jobs to be with their loved ones during recovery.

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We are also a key participant in the recently established DOD

Military Severely Injured Joint Support Operation Center. We have

onsite at this center a full-time staff member to ensure the coordination of services provided through the public workforce system,

and have just added an employer-relations liaison to coordinate direct hiring by private sector employers. Through REALifelines we

have provided a practical, personal resource for servicemembers to

address the biggest issue they will face outside of their recovery,

their economic and career success.

The Bush Administration is deeply committed to protecting the

reemployment rights of all members to the military. To this end

the Department administers and enforces the Uniform Services

Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, which provided reemployment rights following qualifying military service and prohibits

employer discrimination against those who perform military service. Only 240,000 people and groups have been provided briefings

and technical assistance on the rights and responsibilities under

USERRA since September 11, 2001.

Audiences include National Guard and Reserve units, employer

groups and the media. While we endeavor to brief each returning

servicemember on their reemployment rights, we know that with

extended mobilizations there is also a need to provide more comprehensive transition assistance. This is why we have been working with the National Guard and Reserve on providing TAP services to these returning servicemembers in many States on an informal and as-needed basis.

In summary, Mr. Chairman, the Department of Labor is working

hard to improve the quality of life for veterans as well as current

transitioning servicemembers and their spouses. The transition of

these individuals into the civilian workforce serves to benefit the

entire American labor force. Most importantly, through our efforts

we express our gratitude and support for all that our military

members and their families do for us.

Mr. Chairman, that concludes my statement, and I would be

pleased to address any questions that you may have.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Juarbe follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF FREDERICO JUARBE, JR., ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR

VETERANS EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING, VETERANS EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING

SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Chairman Craig, Ranking Member Akaka, and distinguished Members of the

Committee.

It is my honor to appear before this Committee today on behalf of Secretary

Elaine Chao. I would like to take this opportunity to update you on the efforts of

this Department with respect to ensuring that our servicemembers returning home

from active duty military, or following activations in the National Guard or Reserve,

are afforded the opportunity to transition to civilian life in the most seamless fashion.

The Department of Labor is very proud of the men and women in uniform, both

active and reserve, who have served in the extraordinary campaign to liberate the

people of Iraq and Afghanistan and protect us as a Nation from terrorism, as well

as those who have served at any other time in our Nation’s history. We value their

service. They were there for us when we needed them, and as Secretary Chao has

said on numerous occasions, it is our turn to be there for them. We support them

by providing separating servicemembers, military spouses and veterans with the

help that they need to succeed in the 21st century workforce.

We are committed to connecting these men and women with employers who are

very eager to tap their dedication, their talent and their skills. The Department of

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Labor has many offices and programs available to help servicemembers and spouses

transition more easily between job markets. Through its Employment and Training

Administration (ETA), Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), Veterans

Employment and Training Service (VETS), or any other office within the Department, veterans, transitioning servicemembers, and their spouses remain an important focus.

VETS is ideally structured to ensure these services are provided through its network of directors located in every State, who work in close cooperation with the network of State veterans employment representatives provided through the Jobs for

Veterans Act Grant.

TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Since 1990, when the Department of Labor began providing TAP workshops, over

one million separating and retiring military members have been given job preparation assistance. In general, servicemembers who have been on active duty for at

least 180 days are eligible for TAP, and those separating due to disability are eligible regardless of the length of their active duty service.

TAP is a partnership between the Departments of Labor, Defense, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs. Title 10, U.S.C. Chapter 58, authorizes the Department of Labor to assist the Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs

(VA) in providing transition assistance services to separating servicemembers and

their spouses. The role of the Department of Labor is to work through VETS to conduct as many employment preparation workshops as possible, based on projections

made by each of the Armed Services and the Department of Homeland Security

(U.S. Coast Guard).

VETS provides comprehensive workshops where participants learn about job

searches, career decisionmaking, current occupational and labor market conditions,

resume and cover letter preparation and interviewing techniques. Participants are

also provided an evaluation of their employability relative to the job market. Components of a TAP workshop include:

• Personal Appraisal

• Career Exploration

• Strategies for an effective job search

• Interviews

• Reviewing job offers

• Other support and assistance

Public Law 108–183 added section 4113 to Title 38, U.S.C. Chapter 41 mandating

VETS to provide TAP services at military installations overseas. Before this law

took effect, VETS began facilitating TAP workshops at overseas military installations where, by previous interagency agreement, the Department of Defense had

provided TAP workshops since the program’s inception. VETS currently offers TAP

workshops at 49 sites in Germany, the United Kingdom, Guam, Mainland Japan,

Okinawa, Korea, and Italy. In fiscal year 2004, 5,939 separating service personnel

attended these workshops in 286 separate classes. VETS continues to expand additional overseas sites in fiscal year 2005 and beyond. Our goal is to provide TAP at

every location requested by the Armed Services.

State Workforce Agency Disabled Veteran Outreach Program (DVOP) specialists

and Local Veterans Employment Representatives (LVER) are the primary source for

TAP workshop facilitation stateside. However, because of the distances from many

of the State Employment Offices to the military installations, and to assist with the

rapid growth of the program, contract facilitators and VETS Federal staff also assist

with TAP.

TAP program participants receive valuable training and information that gives

them an edge over other applicants for employment. TAP helps servicemembers and

their spouses make the initial transition from military service to the civilian workplace with less difficulty. An independent national evaluation of the program estimated that servicemembers who had participated in TAP, on average, found their

first post-military job 3 weeks sooner than those who did not participate in TAP.

Servicemembers leaving the military with a service-connected disability are offered the Disabled Transition Assistance Program (DTAP) from the VA representatives. DTAP includes about four additional hours of individual instruction beyond

the normal two-and-one-half-day TAP workshop to help determine job readiness and

address the special needs of veterans with disabilities.

EMPLOYMENT SERVICES AND PROGRAMS FOR VETERANS

Mr. Chairman, under the Jobs for Veterans Act (Public Law 107–288) passed in

2002, veterans receive priority in all DOL-funded employment and training proVerDate 03-FEB-2003 13:16 Nov 16, 2005 Jkt 022553 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6621 D:\DOCS\22553.TXT SSC1 PsN: SSC1
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grams. Separating servicemembers attending TAP may register with the workforce

investment system, meaning once they are discharged and attain veteran status,

they are eligible for priority in the services offered at One-Stop Career Centers nationwide.

The public workforce investment system plays an important role in meeting employers’ demands for a skilled workforce. The Workforce Investment Act of 1998

(WIA) was groundbreaking legislation that sparked improvements in the delivery of

employment and training services nationwide through its One-Stop delivery system.

Priority of service is available to veterans in all Department of Labor funded employment and training programs, which was a significant reform under the Jobs for

Veterans Act. Today, our challenge is to take those reforms a dramatic step further

to promote further innovation, to strengthen the One-Stop Career Center system to

better serve all workers and businesses, and to make the system even more responsive to the needs of local labor markets.

We must design a flexible workforce investment system that empowers State and

local officials to create workforce solutions customized to that area’s workers and

employers. We must make certain that outstanding plans for innovative strategies

are not thwarted by the maze of conflicting funding streams, program eligibility requirements, reporting systems and performance measures.

This approach to workforce investment is at the heart of the President’s proposal

for job training reform. The centerpiece of the President’s proposal is the consolidation of the WIA Adult, WIA Dislocated Worker, WIA Youth, and the Employment

Service funding streams into a single grant to States. Governors would have the option of including an additional five programs, including Veterans Employment programs, into that single grant. Together, these programs represent over $7.5 billion

in Federal resources. The consolidated grant would have a single State Integration

Plan and a single performance and reporting system, thereby simplifying planning

and reporting requirements. While program-specific requirements will be minimized,

drops in participant levels for targeted populations, such as veterans, will not be

allowed. In addition, the veterans’ priority of service provision that applies to all

DOL-funded programs will continue to apply, consistent with the Jobs for Veterans

Act.

RECOVERY AND EMPLOYMENT ASSISTANCE LIFELINES (REALIFELINES)

Mr. Chairman, I am sure you will agree that everyone who visits wounded soldiers—whether at Walter Reed, at Bethesda, or other military hospitals around the

country and around the world—comes away with an overwhelming sense of pride,

humility, and gratitude for the courage that these young men and women display

as they confront the reality of their injuries. In these hospitals, many efforts are

underway to do everything possible to help these wounded warriors recover from

their injuries. And the Department of Labor recognizes that we too need to do everything we can to help them rebuild their lives.

Secretary Chao set out to do just that when she launched a new program last October at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. It is called the Recovery and Employment Assistance Lifelines or ‘‘REALifelines’’ Program.

The REALifelines program is the culmination of a collaborative planning process

that began in November 2003 and has included participation from the Federal Departments of Defense and Veterans’ Affairs, State governments, State workforce

agencies, veteran service organizations, private employers and even military service

organizations like the USO. This program was built from the ground-up by service

providers, by disabled veterans and even veterans of the Gulf War and Operation

Iraqi Freedom. The purpose of REALifelines is to provide wounded and injured

servicemembers and their families with personal assistance to ensure a successful

transition to civilian life and to prepare them for rewarding careers. In addition to

assisting wounded and injured servicemembers, REALifelines makes job training

and employment services available to spouses in families that have suffered an active duty casualty, as well as to family members who have temporarily left their

jobs to be with their loved ones during recovery.

REALifelines representatives are currently stationed at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda National Naval Medical Center, and new specialists have

begun work with the 654th Medical Holding Company at Fort Lewis, Washington,

and Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. REALifelines representatives are

State workforce system employees with experience in career coaching, case management, job searches, transition assistance, reemployment rights and crisis intervention. And because they are an integral part of the State workforce system in which

that base or holding company is located, they have full knowledge of, and access to,

One-Stop Career Center Services, and become powerful advocates for priority of

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service. We are in the process of placing these employment representatives at additional military medical centers and medical holding companies.

The Department of Labor is also a key participant in the recently established

DOD Military Severely Injured Joint Support Operations Center. We have onsite,

a full-time REALifelines staff member to ensure the coordination of the full array

of employment and training services provided through the public workforce system,

and have just added an employer-relations liaison to coordinate direct hiring by private sector employers. As you know, the Joint Center is also partnered with the

Transportation Security Administration to ensure that those severely injured traverse our Nation’s airports in a safe, respectful and non-invasive manner.

The most important aspect of this program is person-to-person assistance. In an

age where web and online utilities and technologies are gaining dominance over

human interaction, it is our belief that there is still no substitute for direct personto-person relationships—face-to-face as much as possible—when assisting people

and families struggling with the challenges of wounds, injuries, crisis and post-traumatic reintegration. Therefore, the first task of REALifelines representatives is to

establish for the servicemembers and their family a personal contact in their hometown community with whom they can begin to plan for their recovery and reemployment even before they are discharged from the military service. The REALifelines

program looks first to the resources at hand, builds efficiency within those systems,

and then works actively to fill gaps where they exist.

The greatest challenge we face is that of information collection and sharing. At

present, we are tracking servicemembers through their voluntary enrollment in

State employment systems and through follow-up calls made by the Job Accommodation Network, which has been operating a demonstration program to facilitate referral, outcome measures and problem resolution.

Our goal in partnership with DOD and Veterans’ Affairs is to establish a joint

database and shared processes for tracking and reporting outcomes. For this reason,

we have placed staff at the Joint Operations Center and circulated recommendations for joint data elements both for servicemember employment profiles, and for

job information from hiring employers. Labor participants are working daily with

employment focused working groups from the Joint Operations Center and the

Army’s Council of Colonels, which provides policy and leadership for the Disabled

Soldier Support System. Our goal is to be able to share this valuable data at the

Federal level.

REALifelines is about closing the gaps between Federal, State, local and private

systems. It is about creating greater efficiency, being proactive, and assuring responsiveness to the needs of our returning wounded and injured servicemembers

and their families. Our early successes are proving the value of this program. We

are reducing the number of servicemembers returning home without jobs and we

are reducing the number of servicemembers losing their jobs upon return. We have

provided a practical, personal resource for servicemembers to address the biggest

issue they will face outside of their recovery—their economic and career success.

New initiatives are being developed in partnership with DOD and the VA, such

as mentorship and Federal internship opportunities. The Department of Labor intends to be a model in Federal hiring, and in the provision of mentorship opportunities for servicemembers during their recovery. We believe that opportunity is a very

powerful and effective tool for recovery and reintegration.

NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE

Mr. Chairman, the world has changed dramatically since the attacks of September 2001 and the commencement of the Global War on Terrorism. Our worldwide military commitments have necessitated a mobilization of National Guard and

Reserve members that is unprecedented in modern times.

The use of the National Guard and Reserves has increased dramatically in recent

years, with more called to active duty than at any other time since the Korean War.

Over 485,000 men and women of the National Guard and Reserve components have

been called to active duty since September 2001. Over 310,000 of these ‘‘citizen-soldiers’’ have returned and been demobilized or separated from the military. The Bush

Administration is deeply committed to protecting the reemployment rights of the

Guardsmen and Reservists who so bravely serve America in Iraq, Afghanistan and

around the world. To this end, the Department administers and enforces the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), which provides reemployment rights following qualifying military service and prohibits employer discrimination against those who perform military service. The Department

of Justice and the Office of the Special Counsel also provide USERRA enforcement

services.

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Our servicemembers deserve the peace of mind that comes with knowing that

upon their return from military service, they will be entitled to prompt reemployment in the position that they would have held had they been continuously employed by the civilian employer during their period of service, or in some cases to

a comparable position, including all attendant benefits. Our strong commitment to

supporting our citizen-soldiers is underscored by the development, for the first time,

of comprehensive regulations on USERRA. These regulations will provide an authoritative interpretation of the law and procedures for enforcement and will serve to

improve USERRA compliance. The proposed regulations were published for comment in the Federal Register on Monday, September 20, 2004, and it is anticipated

that final regulations will be published this year.

Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Department of Labor’s Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS) staff has conducted briefings and provided

technical assistance to over 240,000 people and groups on their rights and responsibilities under USERRA. Audiences include National Guard and Reserve units, employer groups, and the media. While we endeavor to brief each returning

servicemember on their reemployment rights, we know that, with extended mobilizations, there is also a need to provide more comprehensive transition assistance.

As a result, we have been working with the National Guard and Reserve on providing TAP services to these returning servicemembers in many States on an informal and as-needed basis. However, recently we launched three formal Reserve Component TAP demonstration programs in Oregon, Michigan and Minnesota, where

there was a compelling need for these workshops. The idea behind the Reserve Component TAP demonstrations is to work with returning units and provide a flexible

format that allows for a tailored transition assistance package that meets local demands. The approach in each location is unique. Once we evaluate the success of

these programs and review any feedback from participants, we will work with the

National Guard Bureau and Office of the Chief of Army Reserve to create flexible

models that can be adapted to fit any situation.

EMPLOYER OUTREACH AND THE PRESIDENT’S NATIONAL HIRE VETERANS COMMITTEE

The Jobs for Veterans Act established the President’s National Hire Veterans

Committee, which was announced by Secretary Chao in February, 2004. There are

21 members who are reaching out to employers to make veterans more visible in

our 21st century workforce.

This Committee is responsible for raising awareness among employers on the advantages of hiring veterans and transitioning military members. Last year, the

Committee launched a national campaign designed to drive employers to One-Stop

Career Centers and to reinforce the outreach efforts of our LVERs and DVOPs. The

Committee has also reached out to Governors, and to date, 30 gubernatorial proclamations have been announced declaring HireVetsFirst months in their respective

States. We expect all States will announce these proclamations by the end of fiscal

year 2005. The Committee has also forged significant strategic partnerships with

major American businesses and corporations.

The message of this campaign is simple; it is good business to hire a veteran, and

it’s a message the President’s National Hire Veterans Committee is carrying all

across America to employers and veterans.

PARTNERSHIP WITH DOD

On July 11, 2003, the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Defense signed a

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which directs the Departments to study

and undertake activities of mutual interest that may expand recruitment, job search

services, training, placement, licensing and certification, and other services for military personnel, veterans, and their families. Under the MOU, work has focused in

three key areas—recruitment, retention, and reentry. VETS, along with other key

agencies in the Department of Labor, has fully participated in this collaboration,

which has resulted in a wide array of new and/or enhanced strategies for serving

these audiences.

An area of particular focus in which VETS played a key role is enhancing the connection of transitioning military personnel to One-Stop Career Centers through the

TAP program. For example, one of the products has been a supplement to the TAP

manual providing detailed information about One-Stop Career Center services and

how to access them.

In addition, the Departments are working on a compilation of successful

partnering strategies now employed by TAP staff and One-Stop Career Centers in

the field. This guide to best practices will soon be distributed to TAP offices and

the workforce investment system nationwide.

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The goal of these efforts is to educate program staff about the benefits and commitments involved in local partnerships and encourage them to leverage their resources. Direct business connections to TAP workshops are constrained by the mandated curriculum and limited time of the TAP workshops. However, promoting ties

between the TAP offices and One-Stop Career Centers generally will help separating

service personnel connect with businesses.

The impact of these changes to the existing TAP program and workshops as well

as the education and encouragement of local partnerships between TAP and the

workforce investment system will ensure that transitioning military personnel are

aware of and utilize all of the resources available to them as they search for employment and training opportunities.

NATIONAL EMERGENCY GRANTS FOR MILITARY SPOUSES

The Department of Labor has also established a policy that States may apply for

National Emergency Grant funds to enable the spouses of returning Guard or Reserve members, widows of military personnel who lost their lives on active duty, and

certain other military spouses, to be provided employment and retraining assistance.

SUMMARY

In summary Mr. Chairman, the Department of Labor is working hard to improve

the quality of life for former, current, and transitioning servicemembers and their

spouses. The transition of these individuals into the civilian workforce serves to benefit the entire American labor force. Most importantly, through our efforts, we express our gratitude and support for all that our military members and their families

do for us.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Mr. John Molino.

STATEMENT OF JOHN MOLINO, DEPUTY UNDER SECRETARY

OF DEFENSE FOR MILITARY COMMUNITY AND FAMILY

POLICY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Mr. MOLINO. Mr. Chairman, Senator Akaka, Members of the

Committee, thank you for the opportunity to discuss the Defense

Department’s commitment to and effort on behalf of our severely

injured servicemembers and their families. Thank you too for presenting the forum that allows, on behalf of the Department and everyone serving in the global war on terror, to thank our Nation’s

citizens for their strong, consistent and sincere support of the men

and women who risk so much to protect freedom.

Each military service has an active program appropriate to the

number of severely injured within that service. The Military Severely Injured Joint Support Operations Center was established to

make a long-term commitment and to fill the gaps and seams that

may exist in individual service programs. It reaches beyond the Department of Defense to other Government agencies, the nonprofit

world and corporate America.

In addition to helping solve immediate problems, the Center will

identify challenges that require systemic, policy or legislative solutions for this and future conflicts. We have adopted a case management approach that we call ‘‘care management.’’ Highly qualified

individuals, nurses or licensed social workers, answer the toll-free

phones when they ring. In addition, we are using information provided by the Army to reach out to those who may have already

passed through the system to ensure that their needs are being

met.

For many, we are about easing the rehabilitation and return to

active service. For those whose service in uniform was truncated by

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the injuries they sustained, we want their transition to civilian life

to be as free of complications as possible. If the bureaucracy must

be fought, we will fight it. If corporate America must be reminded

of its obligation to help find these talented citizens a new career,

we will remind its leaders. Often the spouse must become the primary wage earner. We will help in that regard as well.

Additionally, we will help those communities across America that

are prepared to embrace one of these returning heroes to guarantee

that he or she will never spend a holiday alone, will never want

for meaningful employment, will never be left to wonder if America

has forgotten.

The Center is a living entity that will be in existence for as long

as it takes. Its structure may change. Its roles may be modified to

ensure it remains relevant, but our commitment to the severely injured and their families is solid and long term.

Service in uniform is a noble undertaking. All who serve have

volunteered. Each is deserving of our respect and admiration. All

must be able to serve with the knowledge that the Congress, the

Department of Defense and the Nation will neither forget nor

abandon them should they suffer a traumatic injury in the service

of freedom and the Nation that best represents freedom in the

world.

I welcome the opportunity to respond to your questions.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Molino follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF JOHN MOLINO, DEPUTY UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

FOR MILITARY COMMUNITY AND FAMILY POLICY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Mr. Chairman and Members of this distinguished Committee, thank you for the

opportunity to be here today. It is my privilege to discuss the transition assistance

provided to separating members of the armed forces, particularly those who have

sustained severe or debilitating injuries in the line of duty.

Congress deserves sincere thanks for its continued support of our efforts to ease

the transition from military to civilian life for all our separating men and women

in uniform. Your interest and assistance on this matter, both individually and as

an institution, are very much appreciated.

SEVERELY INJURED

I will focus this testimony on the actions taken to assist our severely injured as

they reintegrate into their hometowns across America. These troops and family

members who sacrificed so much deserve nothing but our best effort to assist them

on their return to civilian life. Each of the Services has initiated an effort to ensure

that our seriously wounded servicemembers are not forgotten—medically, administratively, or in any other way. To facilitate a coordinated response, the Department

has established the Military Severely Injured Joint Support Operations Center. We

are collaborating, not only with the military Services, but also with other departments of the Federal Government, nonprofit organizations, and corporate America,

to assist these deserving men and women and their families.

A number of our severely injured servicemembers will be able to return to duty,

thanks to their dedication and commitment, and the phenomenal quality of military

medicine. Some, however, will transition from the military and return to their

hometowns or become new members of another civilian community. These are capable, competent, goal-oriented men and women—the best of our Nation. They represent all the components bravely serving our Nation—the active ranks, the National Guard and the Reserve. We will ensure that during their rehabilitation we

provide a ‘‘case management’’ approach to advocate for the servicemember and his

or her family. From the Joint Support Operations Center here in Arlington, Virginia, near the seat of Government, to their communities across America, we will

be with them. This will continue through their transition to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the many other agencies and organizations providing support to

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them. Our goal is to provide long-term support to ensure that no injured

servicemember is allowed to ‘‘fall through the cracks.’’

I have mentioned that the Joint Support Operations Center is a collaborative effort, both inside and outside the government. I recognize and appreciate the interest

and expressed desire of the Congress to help ensure the success of this effort. As

we identify the need for statutory changes, we will be certain to make you aware

and seek your assistance.

The Center continues to provide a central point-of-contact for information and

support through a toll-free hotline, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Families are a primary focus. Since the Center’s grand opening eleven weeks ago, our

staff of care managers has fielded in excess of 1000 calls from injured personnel,

their families or caretakers, and has placed in excess of 1000 calls in outreach efforts to find those same families who may have gone unnoticed or may require assistance. The contact numbers are growing. Callers reach the center with questions

and concerns on topics that include immediate financial assistance, family support,

lost promotion paperwork, employment after discharge, and healthcare. VA benefits

and services remain the areas of greatest concern. Each new question or difficulty

our staff is asked to address helps us to improve the service and may provide an

opportunity for systemic improvements.

We remain committed to helping wounded servicemembers reintegrate into their

hometowns. Moving forward, the center will seek to provide avenues to improve assistance with job placement and assistance, non-medical counseling, and financial

support. We are also eager to do more for the spouses of injured personnel—who

often become the primary breadwinners, or face career difficulties as they cope with

the difficulties of the reintegration process.

Of course, only a coordinated, multi-agency effort will ensure that those severely

injured servicemembers and their families who return to civilian life, receive the

level of care and access to resources that they deserve. Through the Joint Support

Operations Center and other programs and initiatives, the Department of Defense

has partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Labor,

the Department of Homeland Security, corporate America, and various levels of government to help ensure the myriad needs of our severely injured are met. Particularly successful has been the Center’s relationship with the VA in addressing and

resolving specific VA benefits and health entitlement issues and concerns. We communicate through a hot-line for emergency VA issues requiring immediate VA attention, and using special e-mail address to communicate non-emergency issues. In

these instances, the VA has committed to a 24-hour turnaround. The Center has

been able to facilitate the rapid resolution of many issues. The Department of Labor

is assisting us in obtaining civil service and private sector jobs through its One-Stop

Career Centers around the country and we are working closely with the Recovery

and Employment Assistance Lifelines (REALifelines), which was announced by Secretary Elaine L. Chao on October 4, 2004. Similarly, to ensure facilitated and dignified security screenings of our severely injured as they travel through our Nation’s

airports, the Transportation Security Administration has stationed watch standers

at the Center to do just this. When the Center receives word that a severely injured

servicemember will be flying domestically, the TSA team will contact all airports on

the itinerary to alert the appropriate offices at these locations. Not only have TSA

folks around the country prepared for the expedited screening of these travelers,

they have treated them like the heroes they truly are.

The DOD State Liaison office is also actively engaging with State and local legislatures to rally communities and help guide their efforts in support of not only the

severely injured, but all in-state military members and their families, to include the

National Guard and Reserve. The office will be participating in the National Governors Association conference later this month and will be discussing many of these

issues.

SERVICE SUPPORT FOR THE SEVERELY INJURED

The center, of course, would be nothing without the individual service and community efforts it coordinates. The centralized call center is designed to augment

service programs, ensuring that, true to tradition and established practice, the

Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps are able to take care of their own.

MARINE FOR LIFE

The Marine Corps, building on the organizational network and strengths of the

previously established Marine for Life Program, has implemented an Injured Support Program to assist severely injured Marines after they are discharged. The goal

is to impress on them that the Marine Corps will always be there for them and to

32

help them bridge the often difficult and lengthy gap between military care and the

care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The key is to ensure continuity of support through their transition. Features of the program include advocacy within the Marine Corps and Navy for the severely injured and their families

and assistance in getting over the hurdles of any external agencies with whom they

interact. Other extremely important features are pre- and post-service separation

case management, assistance in working with physical evaluation boards, and an

interactive website for disability/benefit information. To improve Department of Veterans Affairs handling of Marine cases there is a Marine liaison officer embedded

within the VA headquarters. The program began operations in early January.

ARMY DS3

On April 30, 2004, the Army established the Disabled Soldier Support System

(DS3) initiative to provide its severely disabled Soldiers and their families with a

system of advocacy and follow-up with personal support to assist them as they confront the stress of their wounds and to think through the difficult decisions of continuing to pursue a military career or transitioning to the civilian community. Working closely with the Joint Support Operations Center, DS3 incorporates and integrates several existing programs to provide holistic support services for severely injured Soldiers and their families throughout their phased progression from initial

casualty notification to their return home and departure from the Service. The system facilitates communication and coordination between severely injured soldiers

and their families and the pertinent local and national agencies and organizations,

such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and the many commendable veterans

service organizations. In addition, DS3 utilizes a system to track and monitor severely disabled soldiers for a period of up to 5 years beyond their medical retirement

in order to provide appropriate assistance through an array of existing service providers.

AIR FORCE PALACE HART

If an Air Force servicemember is wounded in action, the Air Force is committed

to do whatever it takes to help them recover. Their Palace HART (Helping Airmen

Recover Together) program follows Air Force wounded in action until they return

to active duty, or are medically retired. It then provides follow up assistance for 5–

7 years post injury. The Air Force works to retain injured servicemembers on active

duty if at all possible; however, if unable to return an Airman to active duty, work

to get them civilian employment within the Air Force. The Air Force also ensures

counseling is provided on all of the benefits to which an individual servicemember

may be entitled within the Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs,

and Department of Labor.

NAVY SUPPORT FOR THE SEVERELY INJURED

The Navy has a coordinated and tailored response for its men and women returning from Iraq, Afghanistan and other areas of conflict with severe debilitating injuries. These servicemembers, and their families are faced with very difficult longterm challenges, and the Navy team provides a strong, coordinated and unified approach to assist them and their families to recover and reintegrate.

NATIONAL SUPPORT

The response from corporate America to our severely wounded veterans has been

extremely positive. Many companies including those in the Fortune 500 have opened

their arms to welcome the severely wounded into their companies through direct

employment opportunities or internships for gaining invaluable experience and

training. Corporations can post jobs on Military.com for the severely injured or their

spouses (Military.com/support). We are also developing an Adopt a Service Member

program to enable communities, corporations, businesses, and even private citizens

to sponsor severely injured servicemembers and their families to help them with

their respective needs.

Academia has been similarly supportive of our efforts. The Department has been

approached by colleges and universities interested in honoring personnel wounded

in Iraq and Afghanistan. Some, like Ferris State University, are lowering their tuition charges for the severely wounded. Others, like Central Texas College (CTC), are

developing special scholarships for the brave men and women who have been

wounded. CTC has established twenty full scholarships, the CTC Iraqi Freedom

Scholarship, for wounded personnel or for the spouses and dependents of those

wounded or killed in action. Other institutions are stepping forward to help as well.

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We are establishing a web presence that will encourage and allow institutions from

across the country to be placed on a list of schools that want to help in this regard.

That site will be linked to website hosted by the Voluntary Education program, the

Transition Assistance Program, and other agencies.

TRANSITION ASSISTANCE FOR ALL THOSE LEAVING THE MILITARY

As you know, the Department and Military Services provide outstanding transition assistance to both Active and Reserve Component servicemembers. Upon demobilization, Guard and Reserve members, like their counterparts in the Active Component, receive the mandatory pre-separation counseling. The pre-separation briefing explains the transition benefits and services that they are entitled to receive as

a result of their service. Topics covered include employment, relocation, education

and training, health and life insurance, finances, and disabled veterans benefits.

With the support of our partners from the Departments of Labor and Veterans

Affairs, we provide each Reserve Component servicemember a Uniformed Services

Employment and Re-employment Rights Act briefing as well as a VA benefits briefing. These are in addition to the mandated pre-separation counseling briefing.

In conclusion, on behalf of our servicemembers and their families, thank you to

the Committee for your support during these demanding times and thank you for

the opportunity to thank the Nation for the support of its citizens for the noble service of America’s sons and daughters.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much. This is the second hearing that this Committee has had on the issue of seamless transition. We heard at the first hearing and again this morning that information needs to be provided in a more organized manner, particularly for soldiers recovering from injuries. What kind of coordination and processes can your agencies utilize to address this concern?

I want to ask Admiral Cooper: Several newspaper accounts have

chronicled the plight of returning servicemembers who had to overcome obstacles to undertake their studies including the lack of

timeliness in getting funds from VA to the veteran; in articles, Jack

McCoy, Director of the VA Education Service said that an influx of

veterans going to school with the VA’s help, too few claims processors and a computer glitch are among the reasons for the backlog. The fiscal year 2006 budget includes a decrease of 14 education

claims processes.

My question to you is how has this impacted the current situation?

Adm. COOPER. I would say that we are overcoming the problems

identified by Mr. McCoy. We have assigned a few more people to

help in processing education claims. We are, however, pretty much

inundated by claims coming in, rightfully so. Education claims are

up about 10 percent each of the last 3 years and part of the reason

for that is the things that Congress has done to enhance the Montgomery GI Bill, making the education program more desirable to

returning veterans.

So we have had a larger influx. We have increased the number

of people and we are watching the workload very carefully. I would

say to you that, in fact, even today although we are not to our targeted goal, we are about 10 days to 2 weeks better in the processing of the education claims than we were 3 years ago. So whereas we have made progress over the years, we are not yet where we

want to be. There are a few glitches now and then, and we resolve

them as soon as we find out about them.

Senator AKAKA. Secretary Molino, DOD recently established the

Military Severely Injured Joint Support Operations Center. The

Army has its Disabled Service Members Support System, the MaVerDate 03-FEB-2003 13:16 Nov 16, 2005 Jkt 022553 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 D:\DOCS\22553.TXT SSC1 PsN: SSC1
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rines have the Marine for Life Program, the Air Force has its Helping Airmen Recover Together program, and the Navy is working on

its Injured Marine and Sailors Initiative. What is being done to ensure that these programs are coordinated with each other and with

the VA?

Mr. MOLINO. Senator, the establishment of the Joint Support Operations Center is in part to address the need to ensure that there

is collaboration, that there is coordination. The services are each

stressing different features of their individual assistance programs.

They do some parts better than others. The Joint Support Operations Center enables us to share best practices, enables the services to adopt those best practices of perhaps another program that

they may not have thought of. It also allows us to identify opportunities where it is best to centralize and it is best for the Joint Support Operations Center to be the primary provider of a degree of

support.

As I said in my oral statement, we realized that there were gaps

and there were seams between the services that should be provided, the needs of the servicemembers and the ability of our programs to provide those services. So the Center is either an umbrella or a safety net depending on how you prefer to look at it,

to ensure that we fill those gaps and seams. It extends as well to

the other governmental agencies, the VA and Department of Labor

are noteworthy here, but we have also coordinated with Transportation Security Administration and other agencies to ensure that

there is collaboration and there are ways to help.

Seamless transition between DOD and VA has been a problem

and a daunting issue for many, many years, as you know from your

long service in the Senate, sir. We are working as diligently now

as we have ever worked. Certainly the need is more apparent now

than perhaps it ever was. I know that the Department of Defense

is committed, and I am fully confident, based on Admiral Cooper’s

comments and our experience working with the VA, that we are

committed to working out whatever seams remain, working

through the administrative hassles. If there are any statutory hassles, we will work through those as well with your collaboration

and cooperation to do the best we can for our deserving heroes.

Senator AKAKA. And the process, is DOD establishing a DODwide standard for these programs?

Mr. MOLINO. We have not done that, Senator, and I think that

may materialize at the end of the Joint Support Operations Center.

We are trying to present the center as something that enables the

service programs to succeed. The feedback we have received from

many of the injured veterans, and frankly, the testimony this

morning will be very helpful because it presents a different perspective that I had not heard.

We have heard from injured Marines, for instance, that they

want to be helped by Marines. They want to know that the Marine

Corps was with them from beginning to end. The Joint Support Operations Center is intended to allow the Marine program to succeed. If we need to fill in something that they perhaps do not have

the resources, the funding or the equipment to do, we are happy

to do that. But when that Marine goes home and he looks back on

his service and he or she is trying to influence a young high school

35

graduate about whether or not he or she should serve, we want

them to be able to say, ‘‘The Marines were with me from beginning

to end.’’

So while it may seem redundant to have individual service programs, we do think it is important. We will stay in the background.

The name of the center is particularly awkward, I will have to

admit, but it is almost by design that way. It does not reduce itself

to a fancy acronym. If a Marine wants to know who helped him,

it is Marine for Life. If an Army soldier wants to know who helped

him, it is DS3. I am fine with that. We will stay in the background.

We just want to make sure that none of the service programs ever

fail.

And, Senator, if I could indulge you just one more brief period

of time, I failed in my oral statement to mention the toll-free number, and since I know that this is being recorded and there is a

likelihood that it will be broadcast, I would like to say that the toll

free number for the Joint Support Operations Center is 1–888–

774–1361, and for anyone who hears this, who knows of an injured

servicemember or a family member who is worried about that

servicemember, we can be the start point. We will be the warm referral either to the VA, to Labor or to the services to make sure

that happens.

Senator Murray mentioned post traumatic stress disorder. We

are beginning to see, we think, some of that come forward. And as

you know, post traumatic stress disorder sometimes waits a decade

before it manifests itself. If a family member sees any signs of

PTSD, a phone call to the center will begin that support to help

a veteran who may be suffering from PTSD.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you. With this wide array of programs

that we are talking about, what are they doing to educate separating disabled servicemembers of where they should turn?

Strangely it seems that there is competition among the services

rather than coordination and synchronization. You mentioned redundancy too. What is being done to prevent this?

Mr. MOLINO. There is always some healthy competition, Senator,

and where it is healthy I won’t interfere. But what we have seen

in this instance is an enormously high degree of collaboration. We

have seen the services step forward. If a Marine goes home to an

area where there is no real Marine presence, but there is an Army

presence, the Army program with a regional coordinator has

stepped forward to be of assistance.

We are trying to, as I said, be the collaborative point so that the

support can be rendered in that fashion. But I have seen more collaboration than competition. One thing that both John and Tristan

mentioned at the first panel is the flow of information that happens

even while they are still patients. The truth of the matter, Senator,

is they are drinking from a fire hose. There is no way we can expect them to absorb all that information immediately.

I have had the privilege of meeting with injured servicemembers

while they are in the hospital. Their heads are still very foggy.

Very often they are still on pretty serious medication. They cannot

be expected to comprehend all of this the willingness of the Departments of Labor, Veterans Affairs and Defense, the presence of the

Center. When they get home or when their heads clear, any hour

36

of the day or night—this is a 24/7 operation—they can make a

phone call and say, ‘‘I didn’t quite understand what I heard,’’ or

‘‘This is what I think I heard. Is that true?’’ The Center can be that

first step to clearing away the fog that is understandable when

they first got a piece of information, and help them to get the help

or the assistance they need.

These are great Americans who are going to live great and productive lives, and it is up to us to help them.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you.

Secretary Juarbe and Admiral Cooper, describe how your agencies interact and communicate in working toward a goal of seamless transition.

Adm. COOPER. Let me discuss it from the VA side. The seamless

transition, as I see it, first starts with those who are seriously disabled, and that is the reason we set up the special offices at both

Walter Reed and Bethesda. These are the primary entry points for

returning OEF/OIF servicemembers who are seriously disabled. We

monitor them very carefully, as I said, so that if they are discharged, we can adjudicate their claims immediately. We also want

to make sure we have all the medical records if they are discharged. So the primary point is to get every piece of information,

talk to them, make ourselves available, and also be prepared once

they are discharged. If they stay in the service, of course, we still

communicate with them and advise them about the various services that are available while they are in the service.

When an individual leaves Walter Reed, Bethesda, or any of the

other facilities where we have personnel stationed, we notify the

VHA hospital and the regional office of jurisdiction in the area to

which they are going.

The regional office will assign an individual to contact the veteran. VHA will receive the medical records and VBA will receive

the necessary records for filing claims. We continue to communicate with individuals, particularly as regards vocational rehabilitation, to ensure that they know what benefits are available. If

they decide to do nothing immediately, we have mandatory followups at 6 months and 1 year to say, ‘‘OK, would you like to talk

about it now? Is there something more we can do?’’

So I think we have a pretty solid process in place.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you.

Secretary Juarbe?

Mr. JUARBE. Senator Akaka, there is obviously great need for coordination. Much is needed. And we do our part in working together both with the Department of Defense and with the Department of Veterans Affairs. We have a tremendous resource in our

national network of local veterans employment representatives and

Disabled Veterans Outreach Program specialists. DVOPs, the latter

group, is one that works integrally with the Department of Veterans Affairs through their vocational rehabilitation and employment program. It may start with a referral, but then the referral

back to them after the rehabilitation process has been completed

and setting up a case management system for the individuals.

As I mentioned in my earlier statement, starting in November of

2003 we collaborated with the Departments of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs and other partners at the State and priVerDate 03-FEB-2003 13:16 Nov 16, 2005 Jkt 022553 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 D:\DOCS\22553.TXT SSC1 PsN: SSC1
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vate sector level to establish a recovery and employment assistance

lifeline. With the establishing of the Joint Support Operations Center, we then felt that our program should work very closely with

that center, and we are now integrally connected with them in that

effort.

The importance is working with our partners at DOD and at VA,

our focus on the earliest possible intervention and very personal

services. Now, as Mr. Molino said, they are drinking from a fire

hose at the very beginning with a considerable amount of information. But, Senator Akaka, this is one case where redundancy is desirable. We have heard this morning from the first panel that repetition is needed and frequency is needed. The important thing is

timing and follow up.

The best way I can describe how some of that coordination can

work effectively is a prime example that we have had with Sergeant Alfred Callas, who was featured in the GI Jobs issue this

month, and I have a copy which I will make available to you. But

in working with him as an amputee at Walter Reed, we have a representative located there, a Disabled Veterans Outreach Program

specialist at Walter Reed who coordinated, identified what his interests were in employment upon returning home. And that is the

key to following them up when they are back home.

He connected with the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program specialist in the State of Kansas, and eventually, because he was interested in going into a new field, that of auto mechanic and working on HMMWV, we were able to secure a job for him with Lear

Siegler at Fort Riley, Kansas; in addition to that, working with the

private sector. So what we did here is the Federal sector working

together and working with the State sector, and then working with

private industry, we were able to get Mack Tools to donate a set

of tools for Sergeant Callas to enter into his new career.

That is how we see coordination, and that is a good example of

how we see effective coordination from the earliest possible intervention all the way down to the home front.

Senator AKAKA. Admiral Cooper and Secretary Juarbe, are your

employees in the trenches knowledgeable about the services that

are offered by both VA and DOL so that they can give appropriate

referrals to servicemembers, to agencies that they do not necessarily work for? For example, how are Disabled Veterans Outreach providers trained to appropriately refer veterans to agencies

from which a veteran may benefit from utilizing services, specifically VA?

Admiral?

Adm. COOPER. I would say, yes, they are very well trained, especially in the Vocation Rehabilitation and Employment Program.

This is an extremely well-run program. We did a study about a

year-and-a-half ago to reorganize it and do everything we can to

emphasize employment. When the young man or woman comes into

our offices or comes into our program, we offer them options, or

tracks, by which they can obtain employment, get an education,

and/or become more independent in their daily living. I am firmly

convinced that, although we need to continue training them, our

VR&E counselors are well aware of the job opportunities, particuVerDate 03-FEB-2003 13:16 Nov 16, 2005 Jkt 022553 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 D:\DOCS\22553.TXT SSC1 PsN: SSC1
38

larly in the areas where they are located and where they are helping veterans onsite.

Senator AKAKA. Secretary Juarbe.

Mr. JUARBE. Continued training is a key part of it, and we are

focused through our National Veterans Training Institute, where

our DVOPs and the LVERs are trained. We ensure that they are

aware of the benefits and programs that are available through the

Department of Veterans Affairs, and we work very closely with the

Department of Veterans Affairs in the coordination of the DVOPs

with the VR&E program, and providing briefings to the VR&E staff

on USERRA issues and other employment issues.

Senator AKAKA. I have a question here from Senator Craig. As

I mentioned earlier, he is unable to be with us at this moment because he has an amendment on the floor.

Senator Craig is impressed with the VA’s program which wisely

utilizes the talents of injured servicemembers like Mr. Wyatt. Are

your departments doing anything similar to hire former

servicemembers, Admiral?

Adm. COOPER. Yes. Our Department started the program that

the Senator is talking about as an experiment. The CIO for VA

began by hiring 9 or 10 returning veterans. In just the last 2 weeks

this initiative has become a VA-wide program managed by the Office of Human Resources Management.

And I am also pleased that, in my own organization, the Veterans Benefit Administration, 47 percent of the personnel are veterans. The National Cemetery Administration is about 75 percent

veterans. I think this demonstrates that VA is really trying to do

everything they can.

Senator AKAKA. Secretary Molino?

Mr. MOLINO. Senator, the first thing you hear from an injured

soldier is what you heard this morning. Their first desire is to stay

on active duty, go back with their unit and serve with their colleagues. When we can, the services are committed to doing just

that. There have been stories in the press about disabled

servicemembers who are able to return to active duty, full active

duty with their units. When that does not happen the services offer

the opportunity to find employment as a career civil servant either

with the same service with which the person is familiar or in the

broader Department of Defense or even beyond the Department of

Defense to other Government agencies.

We have two programs working within the Department of Defense to identify folks to take advantage of that. We are beginning

with kind of an interim program where they can learn the skills,

kind of try on the job and see if that is what they think they want

to do with the rest of their lives. The Air Force indeed has a mandate that they have imposed upon themselves, if an Air Force airman is injured severely and cannot stay on active duty, they will

find a job for that individual if they choose to take the job.

So, yes, we are very aggressively doing that. And as I said earlier, Senator, these are very talented young Americans and we do

not want to lose them. If they cannot stay in uniform and continue

to serve, we would welcome them as civilian employees.

Senator AKAKA. Secretary Juarbe.

39

Mr. JUARBE. The Veterans Employment and Training Service has

the lead role in a program that is known as the Disabled Veterans

Hiring Initiative, which is we have reached out to all Federal agencies, in partnership with the VA also, to talk about the special hiring authorities, the known competitive hiring authorities that are

available to facilitate employment for disabled veterans, the severely disabled veterans. That is a program that we are very

pleased with. In the Department of Labor, within my own Agency,

we have a high level of veterans of course, and we are constantly

looking for opportunities.

Senator AKAKA. Secretary Juarbe, I have two questions here

from Senator Craig. How do you track DOL’s efforts to provide employment assistance to recently separated combat veterans? Is priority given to these individuals? How many recently separated

servicemembers who have sought DOL’s employment assistance

later found jobs?

Mr. JUARBE. The follow-up and tracking is an integral part of the

services that are performed by the DVOPs and the LVERs, and at

the One-Stop Career Centers our approach has always been focused on case management and follow-up. The reporting from veterans is controlled through the Employment and Training Administration reports that we get on the ETA 9002, which is the macro

report for the public labor exchange services to veterans. From that

we derive the information concerning the services that are provided

by the Disabled Veterans Outreach Program specialists and the

local veterans employment representatives under the VETS Form

200.

Through REALifelines we are also tracking those servicemembers who have elected to enroll in the program, and we are

working together with the Joint Support Center to continue that

tracking of those individuals. Under the REALifelines Program we

have been able to track—we have been working with approximately

200 cases since we started the program last October, and about 15

percent of those have resolved and resulted in decisions regarding

employment, training or other opportunity outcomes.

Senator AKAKA. Secretary Juarbe, this question is from Senator

Craig. 1,700 Idahoans were deployed to Iraq last November as part

of the 116th Brigade Combat Team. Your Agency has the oversight

responsibility of the law guaranteeing reemployment rights upon

their return home. The question is, what activities have you undertaken to prepare for the return of these guardsmen so that complaints are held to a minimum?

Mr. JUARBE. Since September 11, 2001 the Department of Labor,

and through my agency, has had an aggressive compliance assistance outreach program, where we have provided briefings and technical assistance to over 240,000 individual members of the Guards

and Reserves and employers. That outreach continues, and it has

been in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Society for Human Resource Management, the National Federation of

Independent Businesses and other labor organizations like that

and business organizations. And we provide pre-mobilization briefings and post-mobilization briefings.

As I stated in my statement earlier, we recognize that there is

an increased need for providing transition assistance to these indiVerDate 03-FEB-2003 13:16 Nov 16, 2005 Jkt 022553 PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 D:\DOCS\22553.TXT SSC1 PsN: SSC1
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viduals, even though most of them ostensibly will be returning

back to a job if they are members of the Guards and Reserves, and

those rights are protected. We know that many of them may not

have an interest in pursuing other career opportunities, and also

for those where their jobs are no longer there because the company

may have gone out of business.

What we have found is that as a result of this outreach we have

been able to reduce the level of incidents of discrimination, and

when those incidents of discrimination—and this is in comparison

with the last major call-up of 265,000 in the Persian Gulf War.

When we do address those incidents, with our partners, the Department of Defense National Committee on Employer Support of

the Guard and Reserve which is our first line of defense out there

with over 4,000 volunteers, is we are able to resolve many of these

issues on an informal basis. Many employers simply did not understand the law, and they are willing to comply with it.

We determined from that that there was a need for regulations,

and to that extent we published regulations last fall for comments

and we hope to issue the final regulations on USERRA, which was

enacted in 1994, but those regulations should be out some time this

year.

We also have the poster which is now published and available for

all employers who are supposed to make the information available

through a poster or other means of the rights and responsibilities

that individuals have under USERRA.

Senator AKAKA. My final question is to Admiral Cooper and Assistant Secretary Juarbe. We are anticipating a greater demand of

Veterans Affairs as well as Department of Defense by our military

people as well as our veterans, and we have been looking at our

budget. So my question is on the budget to both of you. How have

Veterans Affairs and Labor’s budgets been increased to reflect the

increased workload as a result of the present conflict? Admiral?

Adm. COOPER. Our budget has essentially increased probably

about 2 to 3 percent. Also, you may remember, last year and the

year before, Secretary Principi, through the Supplemental Appropriation, was able to give us some extra money, and last year,

transferred funds from the VHA budget to VBA. This allowed us

to use 75 million this year, and we will have 50 million extra in

our budget this following year. So I would say those two are major

moves that were made.

Mr. JUARBE. Each year during my tenure at the Veterans Employment and Training Service, we have had an increase in our

budgets, and for fiscal year 2006 we do have another increase in

the total funding. We will increase the Jobs for Veterans Act grants

which fund the outreach personnel, the VET reps, or the DVOPs

and LVERs at the State level, with an increase of $1.3 million. The

services to homeless veterans also are being increased. That is a

program that is increasing by $1.2 million for fiscal year 2006.

Senator AKAKA. I want to thank my panelists very much for your

responses today.

It will, no question, be helpful to the Committee. There may be

questions of Members. We would submit that for the record. We

look forward to a better way of trying to service our veterans as

well as our military personnel. I personally look forward to working

41

with all of you in doing that, and by sharing information as we

have we will be able to do that.

So with that, thank you very much for being here this morning.

The hearing stands adjourned.

[Whereupon, at 11:48 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]

(43)

APPENDIX

RESPONSE TO POST-HEARING QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY HON. LARRY E. CRAIG, CHAIRMAN, TO DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS

Question 1: If a recently separated National Guard member files a disability compensation claim for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), what priority is that

claim given in the system? Do you believe all claims by recently separated combat

veterans should be adjudicated on a priority basis?

Response: The Veterans Benefit Administration (VBA) is giving top priority to the

benefit claims of all returning war veterans, including National Guard members,

who have serious physical injuries, and providing the best possible service to these

returning heroes must remain our highest priority. Claims from terminally ill veterans, homeless veterans, veterans with severe financial hardship, and former prisoners of war also receive priority attention.

Our goal must be to provide quality, timely, and compassionate service to all

claimants. As a result, we do not believe that VA should adopt a policy of adjudicating all claims by recently separated combat veterans on a priority basis.

Question 2: Of all the servicemembers medically discharged from service in the

last 3 years, how many converted their life insurance coverage from SGLI to VGLI?

Isn’t this the population that would have the most difficulty purchasing life insurance in the commercial market? What more can be done, either by VA or the Congress, to emphasize the importance of this transitional benefit?

Response: Medically discharged servicemembers need Veterans’ Group Life Insurance (VGLI) most because the disabilities they incurred in service often make them

uninsurable by private commercial companies unwilling to take a risk insuring an

‘‘unhealthy life.’’

We do not have specific information regarding the number of servicemembers

medically discharged from service who converted their Servicemembers’ Group Life

Insurance (SGLI) to VGLI. However, we have information showing that, since June

2001, 51 percent of separating servicemembers with military disability ratings of 50

percent or higher have applied for VGLI.

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Office of Servicemembers’

Group Life Insurance (OSGLI) conduct extensive outreach to separating and recently separated members concerning VGLI. The outreach includes: • Providing all separating servicemembers, as part of the transitional assistance

program (TAP) and disabled transitional assistance program (DTAP) briefings, and

informational brochures on VA insurance programs. The brochures describe the importance of insurance and also provide eligibility information and a VGLI application. • Mailing VGLI applications to all separating servicemembers. OSGU sends all

separating servicemembers VGLI applications to their address of record. A first

mailing is sent 30 to 60 days after discharge; a second is sent if there is no response

within 2 weeks to the first mailing, and a third is sent at the end of the 1-year and

120-day period in which to convert to VGLI. • Conducting ‘‘special outreach’’ to the most disabled separating servicemembers.

Specifically, the VA Insurance Service conducts computer matches to identify those

servicemembers who have medically retired with a military disability rating of 50

percent or more who have not applied for VGLI or the SGU 1-year extension available to totally disabled servicemembers. These servicemembers are contacted by

phone and provided assistance in applying for VA insurance, including VGLI and

the SGLI extension.

Through this outreach effort, approximately 38 percent of those contacted convert

their insurance coverage. Prior to our outreach, 20 percent or less converted their

insurance coverage. To date, about $96 million in insurance has been granted as a

result of these outreach efforts.

Question 3: I am impressed with your program, which wisely utilizes the talents

of injured servicemembers like Tristan Wyatt. Are you aware of a larger Federal effort on this front, or is this program peculiar to VA?

44

Response: In 2001, VA established a national veterans’ employment program to

assist all veterans in understanding veteran’s preference and in accessing information on job opportunities in VA and other Federal agencies. Under this initiative,

VA has participated in job fairs and career conferences; developed a website for veterans; and distributed brochures, posters, and CD-ROMs to military transition centers around the country.

VA recently launched a nationwide initiative to assist injured and disabled

servicemembers returning from Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation

Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in finding employment. The initiative will expand VA’s Vet-information technology program, which provides volunteer work experience and employment to service-connected disabled veterans. Currently, efforts are underway to

work with other Federal agencies, State and local officials, and private industry to

provide job training, work experience, and career opportunities to medically discharged veterans.

Question 4: At our last hearing GAO testified about some of the circumstances

where the transition between DOD care and VA care aren’t working seamlessly.

One of those mentioned was that VA has no policy for maintaining contact with

those veterans who may need time to adjust to the idea that they are too disabled

to continue their military career and need to prepare for civilian jobs, thus they do

not apply immediately for VA’s vocational rehabilitation services. Describe for me

some of the successful ways that VA’s regional offices maintain contact with these

individuals. What are you doing to rectify the problem GAO identified?

Response: VBA released its first policy letter (20–03–36) to all field stations on

September 23, 2003. That policy letter outlined procedures for outreach, coordination of VA services, and claims processing for OIF/OEF servicemembers and veterans. VBA policy letter 20–05–14, dated March 8, 2005, updated and expanded outreach

and claims processing procedures for serving OIF/OEF servicemembers and veterans. This letter was jointly developed by the VBA Office of Field Operations and

the VBA business lines, including Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment

(VR&E). It Outlines specific outreach and coordination of VA services. Regional office (RO) directors are responsible for ensuring that VA maintains contact with seriously wounded servicemembers. Some of the procedures outlined in the policy letter

pertain to outreach conducted by the ROs and providing VR&E benefits and services. Those activities include: • Each RO director must designate an OIF/OEF coordinator and an alternate. • An OIF/OEF case manager is assigned for each compensation claim received

from a seriously disabled OIF/OEF servicemember. • Points-of-contact are established with military and VA medical facilities. • Education about available VA benefits, including VR&E benefits, and delivery

of these benefits are coordinated and claims are managed by a case manager.

• The RO director or assistant director must call returning seriously disabled

servicemembers when they first arrive in the RO’s jurisdiction to welcome them

home and advise them that they will be contacted by the OIF/OEF coordinator.

Procedures in the national policy directive which specifically relate to VR&E include:

• After an entitlement disability has been established for an OIF/OEF

servicemember, a VR&E counselor with jurisdiction over the hospital or medical

holding company at a military facility will visit the servicemember to begin counseling and evaluation prior to discharge.

• If, after initial contact, the servicemember or veteran does not respond or indicates ‘‘no interest,’’ VR&E will diary for a follow-up contact no later than 1 year

after the initial contact.

• VR&E officers will ensure that an indicator is affixed to the Counseling/Evaluation/Rehabilitation folder identifying that the veteran served in OIF/OEF. VR&E

will maintain a log of each of the OIF/OEF veterans they have contacted and with

whom they are working.

Question 5: Also at last month’s hearing, GAO mentioned the need for VA and

DOD to reach a formal information-sharing agreement so that VA can have systematic access to DOD data about populations who need VA services. What specifics

does this agreement need to have to make sure that VA can appropriately deliver

services? What has been the holdup in reaching this agreement? How do you suggest we can help facilitate this agreement?

Response: VA’s Office of General Counsel negotiated a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Department of Defense (DOD) to obtain the complete

range of returning servicemember data VA needs for identification, tracking, and

statistical/reporting purposes. This MOU addresses the transfer of information, including protected health information, on all servicemembers who are about to tranVerDate 03-FEB-2003 13:16 Nov 16, 2005 Jkt 022553 PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6621 D:\DOCS\22553.TXT SSC1 PsN: SSC1
45

sition from DOD to VA or who are eligible for benefits administered by VA during

their active duty. The MOU has been signed by VA officials and is with DOD for

concurrence.

RESPONSE TO POST-HEARING QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY HON. LARRY E. CRAIG,

CHAIRMAN, TO JOHN M. MOLINO, DEPUTY UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR

MILITARY COMMUNITY AND FAMILY POLICY, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Question 1: How many Federal agencies have a presence at military treatment facilities like Walter Reed? Is there a worry about overwhelming injured

servicemembers with information? How have the Military Services coordinated the

well-intentioned efforts of other agencies so that the information provided can be absorbed at the appropriate time and pace of the injured servicemember?

Answer: The presence of Federal agencies varies at military treatment facilities.

For example, Walter Reed established a service delivery system, ‘‘TEAMS’’ (Transition Employment Assistance Management Services), to effectively coordinate both

internal and external agencies’ efforts to provide transition and employment assistance to servicemembers and their families at the appropriate time. This system includes the following:

DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA)

• VA Benefits Administration—to provide servicemembers comprehensive benefits

counseling, assist in filing claims for VA benefits, obtain all relevant Army medical

records, provide complete medical examinations, and process the VA applications for

benefits, to include rating, prior to separation from active duty.

• VA Office of Information and Technology (OI&T)—established VET IT program

designed to provide mentoring, coaching, and/or training to servicemembers in transition from military service to the civilian sector with the ultimate goal being employment within VA OI&T.

DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL)

• DOL Employment & Training Service—facilitates Transition Assistance Program (TAP) consisting of instruction, information and assistance to members of the

Armed Forces who are within 180 days of separation and their spouses in line with

the mandates of 10 U.S.C. 1144.

• DOL Recovery and Employment Assistance Lifelines (REALifelines) Initiative

established to ensure that wounded and injured servicemembers and their families

get the support they need to be successful and competitive as they return to their

homes by adding resources at the Federal, State, and local levels.

OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT (OPM)

• OPM—A representative will be assigned to Walter Reed 2 days of the week to

coordinate outreach activities with WRAMC TAP Staff and provide Federal employment information to servicemembers and family members; serve as point-of-contact

for other Federal agencies interested in providing employment opportunities and job

search assistance; encourage Federal agencies to identify and establish collaborative

endeavors to meet servicemembers’ transition and employment needs; provide Federal employment and education information; and, upon request, participate in activities that further support WRAMC TAP.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD)

• Computer/Electronic Accommodation Program (CAP)—provides assistive technology for wounded servicemembers and employees with disabilities. The Defense

Applicant Assistance Office (DAAO)—‘‘Temporary Assignment Program’’ initiative

supports servicemembers in acquiring new work experiences and skills; networking

opportunities and resources through temporary Federal work assignments that may

lead to Federal employment opportunities with participating Federal agencies upon

servicemembers’ separation.

ARMY CAREER ALUMNI PROGRAM (ACAP)

• Coordinates delivery of DOD Transition Assistance Program with TEAMS that

empowers servicemembers to make informed career decisions through benefits counseling and employment assistance (including pre-separation briefings) and provides

two employer databases of employers expressing interest in hiring servicemembers.

46

WRAMC has developed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that will allow, once implemented, OPM to set up a liaison office to coordinate with all other Federal agencies that want to interface with

severely injured servicemembers. This workable arrangement came about as a result of an Employment Transition Summit hosted by WRAMC in January 2005, and

participated in by DOD, the Military Services and Federal agencies.

Thanks to the establishment of the Military Severely Injured Center (a ‘‘24/7’’ call

center staffed by nurses and master’s level social workers), the Department is able

to ensure the full scope of these services to each severely injured servicemember on

a personal basis, when the servicemember is ready to absorb the information and

make informed decisions.

Question 2: In order to ensure that no injured servicemember ‘‘falls through the

cracks’’ when discharged, it is vital that DOD share with other Federal agencies the

identities of these individuals. How is DOD working with VA and others on this

front?

Answer: DOD established the Military Severely Injured Center on February 1,

2005, to supplement Military Service efforts and ensure all ‘‘seams and gaps’’ are

filled. The Center is staffed with trained nurses, social workers, and VA, DOL and

Transportation Security Administration representatives in a ‘‘24/7’’ call center to ensure the severely injured and their families receive the support and care they need.

Counselor/Advocates with master’s degrees in social work and nursing are also

being located around the country near military treatment facilities, VA hospitals,

and community-based hospitals to provide outreach support to severely injured and

their families and to ensure coordination with the Center care managers and other

Federal agencies, as necessary. The Center also serves as a backstop to support

Military Services and other Federal agencies intended to help severely injured and

their families if they hit a roadblock (whether medical care, finances, education, job

assistance, counseling or transition issues) while on active duty or when they are

discharged. DOD works directly with the VA and other Federal agencies (to include

sharing identities of severely injured, as necessary and appropriate, protecting privacy, as required). The Center provides a ‘‘warm hand-off’ and appropriate followup between agencies to ensure that no one ‘‘falls through the cracks.’’ In addition

to the Center, the program is supported by ten working groups, comprised of members of the DOD, Military Services and Federal agency staffs, that are responsible

for extending support beyond the medical centers and defining solutions to difficult

systemic issues that confront the severely injured and their families.

The Department of Defense is working with VA to provide information on OEF/

OIF servicemembers.

• Recently Separated OEF/OIF Veterans-Active Duty and Reserve Components:

• The Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC), on behalf of Health Affairs,

began routinely providing VA rosters of OEF and OIF veterans who have separated

from active duty in September 2003. In June 2004, DMDC instituted a new process

that more accurately identified those who deployed to the OEF/OIF combat theaters.

The accuracy of the DMDC OEF/OIF veteran rosters being provided today to VA

is excellent. The DMDC rosters for the VA will continue to improve and will be regularly discussed by the DOD-VA Deployment Health Working Group.

• Active Duty Servicemembers in the Physical Evaluation Board/Medical Evaluation Board (PEB/MEB) Process:

• DOD has worked with VA to draft a Memorandum of Understanding that will

ensure compliance with HIP AA as the two Departments share protected health information. The MOU is presently being staffed at VA for signature.

• The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs), Clinical and

Program Policy has drafted a policy to provide authority and guidance on how DOD

will collect critical data elements on severely injured and ill soldiers and provide

this information to the VA. Under this policy—Expediting Veterans Benefits to

Members with Serious Injuries and Illnesses—DOD would transmit needed data to

the VA ‘‘promptly, securely (virtual private network or secure system), and electronically from the Services, through Health Affairs, to the Department of Veterans

Affairs.’’

RESPONSE TO POST-HEARING QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY HON. LARRY E. CRAIG,

CHAIRMAN, TO FREDERICO JUARBE, JR., ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR VETERANS AND

TRAINING, VETERANS EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF

LABOR

Question 1. How do you track DoL’s efforts to provide employment assistance to

recently separated combat veterans? Is priority given to these individual? How

47

many recently separately servicemembers who have sought DoL’s employment assistance later found jobs?

Answer. No answer submitted by time of press.

Question 2. 1,700 Idahoans were deployed to Iraq last November as part of the

116th Brigade Combat Team. Your agency has the oversight responsibility of the

law guaranteeing re-employment rights upon their return home. What activities

have you undertaken to prepare for the return of these Guardsmen so that complaints are held to a minimum?

Answer. No answer submitted by time of press.

Question 3. As the agency tasked with ensuring that veterans receive preference

when competing for Federal employment, what efforts has the Department of Labor

made to be a model employer of veterans? Does DoL have prgorams in place similar

to VA’s that seeks to employ recently separated veterans or seriously wounded veterans?

Answer. No answer submitted by time of press.

Æ